Four people have been killed, while a stray bullet injured a 14-year-old boy, after gunmen attacked a crowded snooker spot near a military barracks in the Ojo area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident occurred on Saturday night at Onireke bus-stop, where the snooker spot is located.
Our correspondent gathered on Sunday that the assailants stormed the area around 9 pm, headed straight to the location, and opened fire on the people present.
Among the casualties was a noodles vendor who was said to have died on the spot.
Residents who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday said the incident caused panic in the community as people ran for safety at the sound of the gunshots.
One of the residents, who identified himself simply as Akogun, said the gunmen, numbering about five, shot indiscriminately upon arriving at the scene.
He said, “The men came to the snooker spot around 9pm. The spot is right opposite the Ojo military barracks, and being a crowded place, the men walked in like regular fun-seekers, wearing native attire. They pretended to be looking for where to sit, but suddenly pulled out what looked like AK-47 rifles and began shooting indiscriminately. Everyone started running for safety, while some were hit by bullets. The mallam selling noodles just beside the snooker spot was the first to die. No one even knew when or how they left because everyone had already fled for their lives.”
It was gathered that three fun seekers who fled the scene later died from gunshot injuries.
A police source in the community, who spoke to PUNCH Metro on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the matter, said the additional deaths were discovered on Sunday morning.
The source said, “One person was found dead on the spot after the incident, while about two others with gunshot wounds, including a teenager, about 14 years old, who had probably come to buy noodles, were taken to the hospital for treatment. But this morning, some people came to report the deaths of their relatives who were caught up in the shooting. We now have three additional deaths, making four in total.”
Meanwhile, there have been speculations that the assailants were either robbers or suspected cultists.
Another resident, who spoke to PUNCH Metro but did not want his name mentioned for security reasons, claimed that the gunmen robbed people of their belongings during and after the attack.
“There are claims that they were cultists because of some slang they were heard chanting before the shooting. Others said they also robbed people of their phones and cash, both at the snooker spot and while leaving the community.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command have arrested five suspected cultists in connection with the incident.
The command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, in a statement on Sunday night described the incident as a cult clash, adding that the commanders of the tactical squad operatives and the Divisional Police Officer led crack tactical operatives and detectives from the police division were deployed to the scene.
She stated that three victims were reportedly rushed to the hospital for treatment, but one of them was later confirmed dead at the Badagry General Hospital.
According to her, the suspects arrested were identified as Victor Christian, 43; Samuel Success, 29; Balogun Emmanuel, 43; Wisdom Chukwuemeka, 28; and Oche Job, 39, who were apprehended during a coordinated operation led by tactical units of the command.
“An immediate raid of the entire area by the joint police team comprising the conventional police team, the tactical squad units, and other detectives led to the arrest of five of the suspects directly responsible for the attack and death of the victim at a hotel in the locality.
“A thorough search of the premises and the operational vehicle of the arrested cultists led to the recovery of firearms, ammunition, and other dangerous weapons used in cult clashes. Exhibits recovered include one (1) locally-made pistol, two (2) pump-action guns, fifty-two (52) live cartridges, two (2) expended cartridges, one (1) Toyota Avalon with registration number KTU 610 JB, one (1) HP laptop, one (1) computer mouse, one (1) car key, one (1) cutlass, one (1) Federal Republic of Nigeria passport bearing the name Ekomafe Gregory Dickson, two (2) Samsung Android phones, two (2) iPhones, one (1) additional Android phone, and one (1) small Nokia phone. All recovered items have been properly documented and registered as exhibits for ongoing investigation,” the statement partly read.
She added that efforts were ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the group, while police patrols and tactical teams had been deployed to forestall reprisal attacks.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Olohundare Jimoh, commended the operatives for their swift response and assured residents of the command’s commitment to eradicating cult-related violence across the state.
He urged members of the public to remain law-abiding and to promptly report any suspicious movement to the nearest police station.
PUNCH.
