A policeman yesterday shot dead a woman at the Adamo area of Ikorodu, Lagos State. The killing of the deceased, a trader sparked off heavy protest as youths in the area gave the patrol team a hot chase, forcing the police to abandon their vehicle and took to their heels. The youths then seized the patrol van and set it ablaze.

According to a witness, Ben Ndakat, the policemen from Imota police division had stormed Adamo on an evening raid of suspected criminal hideouts. Ndakat said as some suspected hoodlums were running away to evade arrest, the policemen started firing at them, but a stray bullet hit a middle-aged woman.

“The killing of the woman sparked off serious protest from angry mob who chased after the policemen despite the fact that they were firing sporadically to scare people away. They eventually escaped but abandoned the patrol vehicle, which the mob immediately set ablaze.

“I wonder the type of training the police authorities are giving to their operatives. How can they be firing into the midst of people. They should have known that those who they were chasing were using innocent people as shield. I watched how the woman who was on her own slumped and died after being hit by a bullet. This was how they came last time and started firing recklessly, but we were lucky nobody suffered casualty then. Today, we were not so lucky as a woman was shot dead.

As at 7:00p.m. yesterday, there was still fear and apprehension in the area as the youths went on rampage protesting the killing of the trader. The Lagos State police spokesman, Bala Elkanah, confirmed the incident, but provided no details about the incident.