Lagos Police Detain ASP After Shooting Kills Girl, Injures Another In Ajegunle
The Lagos State Police Command has detained an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Omotayo Olajide, following a shooting incident that claimed the life of a young girl and left another injured in the Ajegunle area of Lagos State.
The incident occurred between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, in the Nosamu area of Ajegunle, during a police operation to restore order following a violent confrontation between two rival groups.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, November 7.
According to the police account, officers were deployed to the area after receiving a distress call over a clash between two groups identified as the Nosamu Boys and Alayabiagba Boys.
The groups were reportedly fighting over toll collection and were armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.
During the operation, ASP Olajide discharged his firearm, with the bullet striking two girls.
The victims were subsequently rushed to Ajeromi General Hospital for medical attention.
One of them was later transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, where she died.
The deceased was identified by the police as Omole Taiwo, while the second victim is reportedly receiving treatment and is in stable condition.
The command said Olajide had been disarmed and detained, while the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for a thorough and impartial investigation.
It added that the investigation would establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting and determine the appropriate legal and disciplinary action.
Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, CP Tijani Fatai, reportedly visited the deceased girl’s family to express his condolences.
Fatai assured the family that the matter would be thoroughly investigated and pledged that any officer found culpable would not be shielded from accountability.
The command also appealed to members of the public with useful information that could assist the investigation to report to the nearest police station or its Public Relations Department.
However, the police statement, as reproduced in the available reports, did not explain the circumstances that led to the firearm being discharged or establish whether the shooting was deliberate or accidental.
It also remains unclear what the investigation has established about the position of the two girls when the shooting occurred.
The latest incident raises fresh concerns about civilian safety during police operations and the need for accountability when the use of firearms results in the death or injury of innocent people.
The police have yet to announce the outcome of the investigation.
