Residents of Abule Ijesha community, Yaba, Lagos state, have expressed their fear caused by the rate of insecurity in the neighbourhood. They said the area is not safe until the police arrest miscreant who murdered a senior member of staff of the University of Lagos, and a final year student of the institution. They said that the brain behind the crime was a notorious drug dealer in the community known to the police and demanded that he and his gang members be discovered and arrested.
The deceased, Akintunde Fadugba, of the centre for information and technology System, UNILAG, and the 400-level student, Rasaq Akokia, were shot dead on Opayemi street, Abule Ijesha. The Punch reported that the hoodlums, numbering six were led by the drug dealer and stormed the community around 11pm on Friday, March 9, shot rapidly. Newsmen who visited the community on Tuesday, March 13, observed that residents were still in sock and lot of them refused to speak to newsmen on the development. However, an eyewitness, Sunday Ebah, gave a report of the incident. He 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 shop 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.”
Paul Ebite, the chief security officer of the community, 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.” SP Chike Oti, the spokesperson for the police in Lagos, said that the command had launched a search team for the thugs.
