Residents of Abule Ijesha community, Yaba, Lagos State, have accused an alleged popular drug dealer of killing a senior member of staff of the University of Lagos, Akoka, and a final year student of the institution.
The victims were identified as Akintunde Fadugba, a worker at the Centre for Information and Technology System, UNILAG, and Rasaq Akokia, a 400-level student of the school.
The residents said the neighbourhood is not safe until the police arrest the hoodlums who were led by an alleged popular drug dealer in the town. They claimed that the mastermind of the crime was a drug dealer known to the police and demanded that he and his accomplices be arrested and prosecuted.
They said the victims were shot dead at about 11pm on Friday at Opayemi Street, Abule Ijesha, by the hoodlums who invaded the community on a motorcycle and stared shooting indiscriminately.
Fadugba, who was said to be relaxing in front of a barber’s shop close to his house was shot and died on the spot while the final year student, Akokia who was ill and had gone to buy drugs from a chemist on the street, was returning home when a bullet hit him.
Meanwhile, during a visit by Punch correspondent on Tuesday, it was observed the residents are still in panic as many of them refused to speak on the incident.
A witness identified as Sunday Ebah, said he was at a restaurant on Opayemi street when the hoodlums attacked.
Ebah said, “I was with a food vendor around 11pm when I saw three motorcycles. While they were approaching a church, they put off the light of the motorcycle. Two persons were reportedly on each motorcycle. Two men came down and one of them, a tall guy, started shooting. The drug dealer was directing him. When I saw them, I ran to Martins Street. Two men faced Martins Street, while two others headed towards Odenike Street, shooting. The UNILAG worker was outside a barber’s when he was shot. They saw the light of a pickup truck arriving in the community and fled. They thought it was a police van. As they were leaving through Fatai Kadri Street, Rasaq (Akokia), who had been hiding, thought they had gone. As he came out from hiding, they shot him and he fell into the gutter. He was a final year student at UNILAG.”
A leader in the community, Mr. Omolaja Johnson, said the drug dealer had been unleashing terrors on the community since 2016 when he was sent out of the community, adding that the mastermind had used some policemen to harass residents before.
He said a petition was sent to the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, against the policemen and the hoodlums.
Johnson said, “The community sent him away because he sold all sorts of hard drugs. When we met with the AIG, Zone 2, the policemen he used were dealt with. Everything went well until on March 9 around 11pm when the community was attacked and two persons were killed. That day, I slept early. I heard gunshots, but thought it was policemen shooting into the air. About 15 minutes later, a neighbour called me and said two persons had been killed. I rushed to the scene of the crime and met the corpses. I called the Sabo Divisional Police Officer who came to take away the corpses.”
Speaking also, the Chief Security Officer of the community, Mr. Paul Ebite, said, “We want the police to immediately apprehend the hoodlums; without that, the attack will continue. The community is still in fear. We appeal to the AIG Zone 2 and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to ensure that these hoodlums are apprehended.”
However, the state’s police spokesman, SP Chike Oti, said the command had commenced a manhunt for the hoodlums.
He said,
“There were four individuals who were known for negatively influencing children and youths in that community. They had issues with the community and they were chased away. They regrouped and unleashed mayhem on the community, years after they were sent out. They killed a university worker and a student. The command is investigating and effort is ongoing to arrest the criminal fugitives.”
