Police officer flees after killing man in Lagos

An unnamed policeman reportedly attached to the Mobile Police Force (MPF) has shot dead one Ahmed Segun, a.k.a. Iron Body, at Ikotun area of Lagos State. Segun was shot in the early hours of yesterday in a car shop. After the shooting, the mobile policeman took to his heels and fled the scene.

Following the killing, pandemonium broke out as street urchins and sympathizers took to the street in protest. The protesters stormed the auto shop and attempted to burn it down but for the quick intervention of security operatives that saved the situation, while 12 persons, including five women were rescued from the car shop.

An eyewitness who was in the car shop when the shooting occurred said the policeman was invited by the shop owner to assist him secure his facilities as street urchins known as area boys use to extort the shop owner daily.

The witness, who simply identified herself as Titi, said: “Every time, area boys use to come to extort the car shop-owner and he invited two mobile policemen to guard the place so as to ward off the area boys. The area boys who were desperate to extort money came around 11:00p.m. on Tuesday, but the policeman told them Oga was in a meeting.

“The hoodlums left and returned at about 12midnight and demanded to see the shop-owner. The mobile policeman told them the shop-owner was not available to see them as he was still in the meeting. “This explanation did not go down well with the area boys and they decided to forcefully enter the compound, which the policeman resisted, leading to a heated argument. In the ensuing melee, the policeman shot one of the area boys, who was later identified as Ahmed Segun. Immediately, the policeman took to his heels.

“After the policeman escaped with his colleague, the hoodlums left the scene to reinforce. They returned and held us hostage in the car shop. We ran inside and hid ourselves while making phone calls to the police, who eventually came to our rescue at about 2:00a.m. It was like confronting death itself because the boys returned, armed with dangerous weapons, including fuel with which they threatened to burn down the place with us inside.”

Another eyewitness said: “Iron body was shot dead on Tuesday night and the body was lying for hours at the Council bus-stop. The blood was still there this morning when I passed there. He is a popular commercial bus driver and one of the feared ‘Omo Onile’ in the area. He fights a lot, hence his nickname. I was told his punch na die o! How come a bullet entered his body.

“This matter is not over as we hear Idimu boys are suspected to be behind this. You know indigenes of Ikotun axis aren’t friends with Idimu indigenes. They will surely retaliate. The police station at Idimu should be ready for this. It will be a long week. ‘Iron body’ was a leader and had boys who fought on land matters for him. No be small person o!”

When newsmen visited the scene yesterday, policemen from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), state police command and Ikotun Division were still on ground to keep the peace while the road was littered with broken bottles and bonfires made by the protesters.

A senior police officer, who does not want his name in print as he was not authorized to speak to the newsmen, said the shop-owner has been invited by the police command to give details of the mobile policeman who fired the shot. “We have been directed by the Commissioner of Police to remain in the crisis zone till peace returns to the area. If not for our intervention, the crisis would have escalated,” he said.

Reacting, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bala Elkana, said the police were trying to know the squadron that the killer policeman came from.

“We cannot say for sure that he is a policeman or not until we interview the man who invited him. According to the story told, the policeman used a pistol, whether it is locally-made pistol or not, we don’t know, but investigation will determine that. Our major concern is the maintenance of peace for now. “We have been able to rescue the shop-owner and his workers who were trapped in the building. The CP has ordered policemen to remain in the area till the area is calm and quiet. He advised members of the public to go about their duty without fear of harassment.”