One killed as police, traders clash in Lagos market

A yet-to-be-identified trader was Tuesday shot dead during a clash between police officers and traders at the Alaba Rago market in the Ojo area of Lagos.

The police spokesperson in Lagos, Benjamin Hundeyin, made this known Tuesday via his Twitter handle.

The shooting occured on the day of the burial of the Lagos-based lawyer, Bolanle Raheem, who was fatally shot on Christmas day by Drambi Vandi, a police officer.

The deceased, an expectant mother, was shot days after Gafaru Buraimoh, a resident of Lekki, was also gunned down by a police officer.

Mr Hundeyin in his tweets did not reveal the name of the police officer who fired the fatal shot in the latest incident.

“Policemen of Okokomaiko Division today went into Alaba Rago Market to effect an arrest of a suspect but came under heavy attack from a large number of traders,” Mr Hundeyin wrote.

“In a bid to tactically retreat from the armed mob attack, one of the officers fired his weapon, resulting in fatal injury to one of the attackers.

He, however, said that “a detailed investigation has commenced into the immediate and remote causes of the incident.”

Contacted, Mr Hundeyin said he did not have the name of the officer.

However, an official at the Alaba Rago market, Alli Ibrahim, said the “police came into the market to arrest a suspect when they didn’t see the suspect they started pursuing people.

“As the people were running, they started searching phones and whatever. Then some people gathered and resisted and that’s how the thing started.”

According to Umaru Sokoto, Seriki of Alaba Rago, the traders reacted in self-defence.

“I was not in the market when that incident happened,” he said.

“But I learnt that some police officers wanted to arrest somebody and some boys followed the police officers and started stoning them.

“They wanted to kill that policeman, according to what I heard. Then the police shoot.”