Lagos cop enforcing Okada ban shoots guard

Security officer Koleosho Abayomi has demanded justice after a police officer allegedly shot him in the thigh at Lekki Peninsula Scheme II, Eti Osa Local Government Area in the state from Lagos.

PUNCH Metro figured out that the cop, alongside three colleagues, all attached to the Ogombo Police Station, stormed the Peninsula Project II of Lekki to enforce the government ban on motorcycle operations on the estate when the incident occurred.

Abayomi, while speaking to our correspondent, said that following the ban, some commercial motorcyclists were allowed to operate on the estate to facilitate the movement of residents, adding that when the officers arrived at the gate, one of his colleagues on Friday stopped their patrol vehicle.

Angered by the action, Abayomi said the officers got out of the vehicle to challenge the security guard for arresting them.

He said when things got out of control, he stepped in.

The 49-year-old man said during the intervention that one of the officers shot him.

He said, "Since the banning of Okada in Lagos State, the Lekki Peninsula Scheme II has registered its own motorbikes which have been driving around the estate.

"Motorcycles do not leave the estate to operate. The measure was in place to facilitate movement of residents within the estate. But since Okada's operations were banned in the state, the Police from Ogombo Division usually come to the area to attack motorcyclists.

"These bikers have their jackets with ID numbers, so when the complaint came to us, we reported it to the estate president, but it took a while before he not report the case to the DPD to warn his men since motorcyclists do not operate outside the domain.

"So the police kept coming. When their presence could no longer be tolerated, the president asked us to always ask for their mission and that is what caused the problem that day.

"When Friday reported them on July 17 and the officers got out of the patrol vehicle to arrest him, I quickly intervened and sent a signal to my CSO, Greg. When he came, he was trying to calm them down when one of them shot my right thigh.

"Immediately the CSO called the DPO and he agreed to take full responsibility for what had happened. I was rushed to a nearby hospital, where I was admitted for two weeks, the doctor asked me to leave because of the hospital bill of N640,000 the DPO only lost N300,000.”

He said he was transferred to Marina General Hospital because he needed major surgery.

Abayomi said the DPO gave 230,000 naira to a guard who took him to General Hospital, adding that the money was paid out within a week.

"I called the DPD again and he sent 130,000 naira and when the money ran out I called and called but he did not answer. I called my CSO and he told me that the DPD had promised to visit me but I didn't see or hear anything from the DPO so I sent my younger brother to him and when he saw him he started screaming and said that my family members should continue to take care of me,” he added.

Abayomi said he used his personal money and estate management contributions to treat himself until his release.

He noted that despite his release he was limping and had been unable to support his wife and three children.

The estate's president, Moses Kamanya, said that the police usually visit the estate under the pretext of looking for fraudsters on the Internet.

He said, however, that the cops generally constitute a nuisance by carrying out illegal stops and searches on the estate.

"That day, the police were at great fault and we made sure that the police officer who shot the security guard faced the wrath of the law.

"As part of a scheme, we paid the bill for him being discharged from the hospital when the police did not come. It was a sad incident."

State Police Public Relations Officer SP Benjamin Hundeyin said he would contact our correspondent again.

He had not done so at the time this report was filed.