Pandemonium as Police Corporal kills bus conductor in Lagos

All hell broke loose yesterday at the Ketu area of Lagos State, when a policeman shot point blank at a conductor’s head, killing him instantly. The Nigerian Compass heard that the young man was killed after the policeman allegedly demanded for a bribe, which the conductor stubbornly refused to given. The policeman was said to have opened fire on him. The bullet hit him on the head, and his brains spattered everywhere. He died immediately on the spot.

A police source, attached to Ketu Police Station, told the Nigerian Compass that the killer policeman, identified as Corporal Oluwatiyesi Gboyega, a mobile policeman attached to Mopol 50, FCT Abuja, brought out his service pistol and shot the bus conductor on the head during a misunderstanding. The bus conductor died instantly.

The source added: “When we saw that the situation was becoming tensed, we arrested the policeman and took him to our station. We’ll transfer him tomorrow. Policeman or no policeman, he has killed somebody and must be treated as a murderer.”

Enraged bus drivers and other conductors, re-enforced and almost began a war on policemen in the area.

Fearing the worst, policemen in the area had immediately started shooting sporadically into the air.

Commercial activities were halted, as passers-by and traders scampered for safety from flying bullets.

One of the eye witnesses, Lanre Gbangba, said: “When I got to Ketu, it was confusion everywhere. Policemen were everywhere and they were shooting. I had to run and hid somewhere. I hid there until the shooting stopped. Policemen and bus drivers were fighting. It was serious fight.”

When the Nigerian Compass contacted police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide on the matter, she explained that she had only just heard about the incident, some minutes ago and was still trying to get the facts of the matter, before giving out information, to avoid misleading members of the public.

Police station burnt in Ibadan
THE peace of Kuola area of Apata in Ibadan South West Local Government area of Oyo state was yesterday ruptured when an erring commercial motorcycle operator, popularly called 'okada', who tried to evade arrest having flouted the new traffic law and  feigned death after he was beaten by a policeman, thereby triggering protest in which a police station was set ablaze.

The victim, popularly called Akebaje, was said to have conveyed two passengers on his Okada against the law enforcing only one passenger with the rider on the bike, and while being stopped, tried to run, and was hit.

To avoid being prosecuted, Akebaje pretended that he had died, thus prompting insurgence from his co-okada riders.

The erring Okada man was whisked away to the police station, instead of being taken to a hospital, an action which made the people around to proclaim that he had died.

The news of Akebaje's supposed death got the parks, and so members of the road transport union comprising Okada and commercial vehicle operators took to the streets to protest the alleged killing.

Later, the violence spread to the Kuola police station as scores of youths storm the station and set the building ablaze, while the few policemen ran for safety.

Most parts of Apata area of Ibadan were deserted when about 20 police pick-vans started arriving the troubled spot and fired tear gas canisters leading to injuries sustained by some people.

A source said among the injured was a two-year old boy who was hit by canister of tear-gas.

Reacting to the violence, the  State Police Command yesterday denied claims that a man and a two-year old boy died in the violence that erupted between policemen and commercial motorcyclists.

Addressing reporters on the crisis at the police headquarters, Eleyele, Ibadan yesterday, the Acting Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Mr. Ayodele Lanade, explained that a commercial motorcyclist was stopped by a team of policemen on a stop-and-search duty but turned back immediately to evade search.

"The person they claimed was dead is alive and is in our custody. He only pretended to have fainted to deceive people." Lanade explained.

He also warned the motorcyclists against taking laws into their hands. Lanade said that there was no justification for burning down the police station.

The PPRO also disclosed that 28 suspects and 42 commercial motorcycles have been arrested in connection with the attack.

Source: Compass