Pandemonium
broke out, weekend, in the densely-populated Ajegunle area of Lagos State,
after some members of Odua Peoples Congress, OPC, engaged policemen in Tolu
Police Division in a gun duel over the release of a suspect.A suspected member
of OPC was shot dead in the process, a passer-by hit by a stray bullet, one
policeman shot and several others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the
incident which paralysed commer-cial activities in the area.A police van was
also burnt by the OPC members and part of the stationed torched. Their attempt
to burn down the station, however, met with resistance from the policemen. There
were different accounts as to how trouble started.How it started A version said
a teenage girl had a misunderstanding with her lover who was owing her N7,000.
The 18-year old girl was said to have reported the matter to OPC members last
Friday, who subsequently apprehended her boyfriend and allegedly tortured him
in their hideout.Another version had it that the man bought some goods worth
N7,000 and refused to pay, threatening to beat up the teenager, who
subsequently ran to the OPC for justice.When news about the apprehension of the
man reached policemen at Tolu Division, a team was reportedly drafted to the
OPC’s hideout where the victim was rescued and brought to the station. The next
day, OPC members reportedly stormed the station demanding for his immediate
release.Eyewitness account An eyewitness, who gave his name as Famuyiwa
Oladele, said: “Immediately the OPC people came, they started shaking the gate
of the station, demanding that the man that was taken from their custody be
returned. “Before we knew what was happening, they started shooting and we all
took to our heels.“One Emeka, who was driving along the route, was hit by a
stray bullet. They attempted to burn down the station when the police fired and
killed one of them. “Nobody could sleep in this area that day because the OPC
members threatened to bring down the whole place. Many residents fled.”Police
story When contacted, spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi
Braide, confirmed the incident, saying report of the illegal arrest was
received at the command’s control room from where policemen at Tolu Division
were contacted.She said that the policeman that fired the shot that killed the
OPC member had been detained, and that the matter was being investigated to
ascertain whether it was right to have fired the shot
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Society