TheCable

The Ogun state police command says four soldiers, believed to be from Ikeja cantonment killed some residents of Isheri Olofin, a boundary community between Lagos and Ogun, on Monday.

Abimbola Oyeyemi, police public relations officer in the state, said the officers who were posted to Kara market left their beats and went to the community where indigenes of the town were celebrating their annual “Isheri Day”.

On getting there, the soldiers were said to have had a disagreement with some youth which made them shoot sporadically into the air.

In the process, one Damilare Adelani was reportedly hit by bullets and died on the spot.

According to Oyeyemi, the incident infuriated the people at the scene who in turn attacked the soldiers, leaving one of them injured.

Quoting witnesses, the police spokesman said the soldiers took their injured colleague to a hospital for treatment where they met one of the injured civilians.

“The Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the ‘Isheri Day’ shooting incident in Ogun State on August 13, 2019, by suspected soldiers believed to be from Ikeja Cantonment, with a view to bringing the suspects to justice,” he said in a statement.

“Credible information at the disposal of the command has it that on the said date, four men of the Nigerian Army believed to be from Ikeja Cantonment and posted to Kara Market, left their beats and went to Isheri Olofin indigenes of the town were celebrating their annual ‘Isheri Day’.

“The soldiers, on getting there, had a minor disagreement with some youths which made the soldiers start shooting sporadically into the air.

“Consequently, one Damilare Adelani was hit by bullets and he died on the spot. The ugly incident infuriated the people at the scene who in turn reacted violently against the soldiers leaving one of the soldiers and three other civilians injured.

“The soldiers quickly took their injured colleague to a hospital where they met one of the injured civilians being attended to by a medical doctor on duty.

“The statement from the officials of the hospital reveals that the soldiers ordered the doctor at gunpoint to leave the injured man and attend to their colleague. They then dragged the patient out of the bed and subsequently stabbed him to death with a Bayonet attached to the muzzle of his rifle.”

Oyeyemi added that the command had contacted the military authorities in the state and efforts were ongoing to bring the suspected killers to book.

The development comes one week after three policemen and a soldier were shot dead by soldiers in Taraba state.

The development had led to heated media exchanges between authorities of the police and army. Two days ago, Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, warned his men to avoid confronting policemen, saying police officers were aggrieved over the Taraba incident.