The X-squad unit of the Lagos State
Police Command has arrested two men, Semiu Alaka and Sulaiman Olomi in
connection with the murder of a police inspector, attached to the MOPOL 22 unit
of the command.
Both men also faced charges of armed
robbery and illegal possession of firearms.
Police sources said that Alaka and Olomi, were part
of a group of hoodlums allegedly being sponsored by a traditional ruler in
Lagos.
The group were said to have attacked
some policemen from MOPOL 22 in May 2013. The policemen were sent to maintain
peace between warring parties at Mowola community after violent clashes had
broken out over a land dispute.
Angered by the presence of the
policemen, the suspected hoodlums numbering 32 were said to have ambushed the
policemen.
Two AK-47 rifles, belonging to the
policemen, were also allegedly stolen during the attack.
A police inspector was
allegedly killed in the process, while others were injured. The source said,
“One of the injured policemen had his eye gouged out by the hoodlums with a
matchete. The wounded policemen are still in the hospital recuperating from
their wounds.”
Alaka in his defence, denied
participating in the attack on the policemen.
Alaka, who claimed he was a member of
the National Union of Road Transport Workers, said, “I was busy at my job when
I was contacted to provide security for a piece of land.
“The next day, we went there, but
some Odua Peoples Congress members also came to Mowola community. Although I
was there when the OPC attacked the police; I didn’t take part in the violence.
“I went back home shortly after. A
friend, Agali, brought a rifle to my house later that day and asked me to hide
it. I saw that they were police rifles and refused. I told him to take it to
Olomi who dug a hole and hid the gun. Although Agali had brought two police
rifles, it was one he gave us for safekeeping.”
Lamenting his plight, Olomi said that
he was lured into taking the security job because he was unemployed.
He said, “I am in this mess today
because of unemployment. I went to Alaka to help me with a job so I could fend
for my family. It was Alaka who got me the job I had before incident with the
police took place.
It was also Alaka who told me that
there was another security job. When I got there, I was shocked to see over 30
OPC members there.
“I didn’t take part in the attack; I
was not there. It was after the whole thing that Agali called me to keep a gun
for him.
“The gun was wrapped, so I buried it.
I didn’t even know it was a police gun until I was arrested,” Olomi said.
The Lagos State Police Public
Relations Officer, DSP Ngozi Braide, said, “Both men were arrested with the
servie pistol of the slain policeman. Investigation is on to know how they got
the gun.”
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