Three motorcyclists shot dead in Oshodi clash

Three Okada riders were reportedly shot dead in a clash between officers of Lagos State Taskforce and Oju-Irin boys in Oshodi.

But a task force spokesman Taofeek Adebayo told The Guardian said he was aware of the incident. He, however, claimed that men of the task force were not involved in the clash.

Eyewitnesses insisted that the three unidentified victims were hit by stray bullets fired by the security agents who intended scaring off the area boys.

It was gathered that a member of the Oju-Irin boys had a bet on Nigeria’s final Group D match against Argentina with a member of the task force. Nigeria, against the wish of the task force officer, lost the match and missed qualification to the round of 16 knockout stage of the competition.

Both parties were said to be on their way to the bus stop in Oshodi after the match when the officer allegedly refused to hand over his winning share. This reportedly provoked the area boy who stabbed the officer in the face with a broken bottle.

On dawn the following day, the officer alongside his other colleagues returned to the Cappa base of the area boys base on a mission to arrest the area boy that had earlier stabbed the officer. This led to a tussle between them. While it continued, the officers then opted to shoot stray bullets which hit three okada riders.

An eyewitness, Tobi, told The Guardian that the incident had caused unrest in the place and scared off traders.

Tobi said “I got here this morning and heard one of the Oju-Irin boys had a clash with a task force officer after they both placed bet on Nigeria vs Argentina match, which did not go the officer’s way. But he refused to release the money, and then the area boy stabbed him.

“The matter has gone beyond how minor we thought it was. The officer came here with his colleagues and as they were trying to scare the boys away, they shot stray bullets that hit and killed three Okada riders.

Efforts made by The Guardian to speak to members of Okada riders association regarding the matter proved abortive, as they all insist not to speak on the matter.