After a Nigerian Air Force officer was stabbed during a fight with local street boys, residents of Oremeji in the Shasha area of Alimosho Local Government, Lagos State, were left in a state of uncertainty and terror.
Tensions increased following a conflict involving the officer, who was reportedly not in uniform at the time, according to community members who spoke with our correspondent during a visit to the neighborhood on Saturday.
On Sunday, November 9, the cop got into a fight with some boys who were playing football on Oremeji Street.
Residents claim that when the ball allegedly struck him, the fight started.
“The ball struck him while the boys were playing,” said Baba, a resident. When the youngster kicked the ball, he became enraged, grabbed it, and beat him. He punched the youngster once more despite pleas from others to stop. Others intervened to prevent him from causing further harm.
He said that when the cop saw a throng gathering, he allegedly took a knife out of his pocket, stabbed the ball, and threatened anyone who tried to stop him. Some of the youngsters who were attempting to soothe him are said to have been hurt in the process.
One of the boys overpowered him during the altercation and stabbed him with the knife. Nobody was aware that he was a military officer at that time. He stated, “We later learned he didn’t survive when they hurried him to the hospital.
Sola, another resident, claimed that shortly after the incident, Air Force officials from the Shasha base assaulted the neighborhood and attacked locals while looking for the youngster and his family.
Since then, people have been afraid. They returned the following day and the day after, taking some up and beating people, he claimed. “Innocent people were being harassed, but those responsible had already fled.”
Another homeowner, Eniola, stated that many stores now close earlier than normal because of concerns about retaliatory assaults. Orisumbare was the target of the tension. They resumed assaulting victims on the second and third days after they returned. “Those who stabbed him had already fled the neighborhood,” she continued.
During one of the retaliations, the officers allegedly used tear gas, according to another statement from Esther Komolafe. “We noticed people running while we were driving. We realized tear gas had been used as we got closer. Since then, once night falls, we steer clear of that path.
However, Abimbola Adebisi, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, announced on Monday that the Air Force officer survived, refuting popular rumors that he had passed away.
After some people got into a fight, it was found that the person who had been hurt was an Air Force officer. No one died; he was merely hurt, according to Adebisi.
The Divisional Police Officer attended the area and subsequently verified that the officer had gotten treatment, she continued, despite the fact that the incident was not reported to the police station.
“The claim that officers have been disturbing residents is not true,” Adebisi said in response to accusations of harassment by Air Force personnel. Last Wednesday, the DPO and local leaders intervened as some of them tried to retaliate. Since the issue was settled, there has been peace in the neighborhood.
At the time this article was filed, calls and WhatsApp messages to Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, went unanswered.
