Policeman shot okada rider dead on street, not restricted area – Colleagues

Colleagues of the commercial motorcyclist who was shot dead Tuesday evening by a policeman in Abule Egba area have described as false claim by the Police that their colleague operated on the restricted route.

Rather, they said the deceased identified Idris Yau, 30 was killed on Chief Adenuga street, by LASU progressive road, off Social club, Abule-Egba.

This is just as the Police have clarified that only one person died, contrary to report that there were two casualties.

When Vanguard arrived the spot where the victim was shot, yesterday, there were still blood stain on the spot.

Some okada riders who spoke with Vanguard, stated that after the incident, the corpse was taken to the nearest police station in protest of what they described as injustice done to one of them.

Corroborating the riders claim on the spot late Yau was killed, the zonal treasurer of Lagos State Parks and Garages, Ifeanyi Kennedy, who spoke with this reporter, said the incident happened about 6 pm yesterday between okada riders and the police.“

He said, “ We were not on ground when the incident happened. We were alerted that some of our members had been shot by a policeman. When we got here, the corpse had been taken to the mortuary. I cannot explain the circumstances that led to the incident.

“We went to the DPO and discussed with him. He confirmed that he heard that our members went to Charity road , under the Abule Egba. He said the route was restricted place to Okada riders since the ban of okada in some areas of the state.

“Unfortunately, we got to know that the incident happened at Ssocial road, club junction, and not Charity road as stated by the police.

“It was only one body that was lost and his name is Idris Yau, from Jigawa state. However, they were other casualties”, he added.

Expressing his dissatisfaction with the police, Ifeanyi stated that, it was not right for the police to use ammunition on humans, “because the people they are after are not armed. They are okada riders. The restricted area where motorbikes are banned is very far from where he was killed. If they operated on the charity road as claimed by the police, the boy would have been shot dead on the road and not on Chief Adenuga Street, LASU progressive road, off social club where bikes are allowed to operate”.

However, the Police maintained that some commercial motorcyclists violated the rules of the ban on their operation on Charity road, inspite of several warnings.

On his verified twitter page, spokesman for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Benjamin Hudenyin, explained that “After a minor accident involving a car and a motorcycle occurred on the Abule-Egba bridge at about 4.30pm, motorcycle riders in their numbers started fomenting trouble. Police arrived on the scene to quell the unrest.

The riders violently attacked the Police. This resulted in the death of one of the riders. Normalcy has been restored to the area. The DPO Oko-Oba and his men are fully on ground to forestall any breakdown of law and order”.

Vanguard