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Mile-12:  Army, police restore order after cult-war, murder of NURTW official

By Eniola Daniel
30 August 2022   |   4:00 am
The Nigerian army and Lagos State Police Command, yesterday, restored peace in the Mile-12 area of Kosofe Local Council of Lagos State.

Ariku

Police rescue suspected child trafficker from mob
The Nigerian army and Lagos State Police Command, yesterday, restored peace in the Mile-12 area of Kosofe Local Council of Lagos State.

Trouble started on Sunday after a cult war that claimed the life of an official of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Onaopemipo Lawal, popularly known as Ariku.

Ariku was stoned to death by a suspected rival cult group.

Residents alleged he was a brute, who alongside his boys were terrorising the area before his untimely death on Sunday  afternoon .

In a 16 seconds video that went viral, the attackers were seen hitting him with sticks until he was motionless.

When news of the attack reached his allies, they stormed the scene and rushed him to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.

His death sparked protest as his aggrieved friends took to the streets  in protest, while text messages alerting Lagosians on the incident and warning them to avoid Mile 12 went viral.

Buhari Jimoh, an aide to Chairman of Lagos parks, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo, confirmed that  the late Lawal was their member, stating that he could have been killed by those who suspected he was always reporting their criminal activities to the police.

Speaking with The Guardian, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Superintendent of Police (SP) Benjamin Hudenyin, said: “No arrest has been made regarding the matter, but order has been restored.

“We can’t confirm if he was killed by rival cult members, until the conclusion of our investigation.”

MEANWHILE, police operatives attached to Surulere Division have rescued 22-year-old Ayomide Fawehinmi from a mob, for allegedly stealing a child at Empire, Surulere, Lagos.

The suspect was rescued and thereafter arrested after a distress call was received from members of the community about the mob action.

The state Command said Fawehinmi had lured a 15-year-old boy from his mother’s shop to an unknown destination before he was accosted by a neighbour who raised the alarm.

It was learnt that the suspect had already dispossessed the boy of an Itel android phone to cut off communication with his mother.

Hundeyin said while the boy was rescued unhurt and the phone recovered, an investigation is ongoing to establish the full extent of the suspect’s culpability.

“The suspect would be arraigned contingent on the outcome of the investigation.

“The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Alabi, has commended residents of Lagos State for promptly alerting the authorities to suspicious persons.

“He warned members of the public to desist from jungle justice as it is a crime in itself,” Hudeyin.

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