Toll War Turns Bloody As Police Bullet Kills Girl In Ajegunle

http://P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the tragedy was not a random shooting, but the result of a long-running toll war between two rival groups in Ajegunle — the Nosamu Boys and the Alayabiagba Boys — who have been battling for control of toll collection points in the area.

On Thursday night, between 9:30 pm and 10:00 pm, the rivalry again degenerated into a violent clash. Residents said the sound of shouting and fighting forced many people indoors, as traders hurriedly closed their shops and mothers pulled their children inside.

Police officers were deployed to the area after a distress call from residents who feared the clash would escalate.

But instead of calming the situation, the operation ended in tragedy.

According to the Lagos State Police Command, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Omotayo Olajide, discharged his firearm during the operation. The bullet did not hit any of the fighters — it struck two innocent girls who were caught in the area.

Both girls were rushed to Ajeromi General Hospital. One was later transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, where she died. The second girl is still receiving treatment and is said to be in stable condition.

Other papers reported it as just “police shoots girl.” But the real question residents of Nosamu are asking is: Why do police always use live bullets to settle a toll fight?

For months, residents told http://P.M.EXPRESS that toll collection clashes have become a regular night terror in Ajegunle. Each time, police come, shots are fired, and innocent people run for cover.

 “We are tired. It is not the boys fighting that die, it is our children who are inside their compound,” a resident of Nosamu told http://P.M.EXPRESS.

The fear in Nosamu is not just about Thursday night. Residents say toll collection has become a big business in Ajegunle, with different groups claiming ownership of loading points, markets and street corners. Whenever one group tries to take over another collection point, a fight breaks out. And whenever police intervene, the residents, not the fighters, pay the price.

Community leaders in Ajegunle are now calling on the Lagos State Government and the Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government to intervene and regulate toll collection in the area before another innocent life is lost. They say if the toll war is not settled, Thursday’s tragedy will repeat itself.

Legal experts also told http://P.M.EXPRESS that the Police Act and the Force Order on the use of firearms are clear: an officer should only use a firearm when there is an imminent threat to life, and must exercise restraint in a crowded residential area. The question SCID must now answer is whether ASP Olajide followed those rules on Thursday night.

The Lagos Police Command, through its spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said ASP Olajide has been disarmed, detained and the case transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for thorough investigation.

The Command assured that justice will be served.

But for the family of the deceased girl, assurance is not enough. They want prosecution, not just detention. They also want the police to take full responsibility for the medical bills of the second girl who is still in hospital.

http://P.M.EXPRESS will continue to follow the toll war in Ajegunle and the SCID investigation to ensure the case is not forgotten.