The incident happened around Access road, along Ikorodu expressway. The victim was later identified as Ibru Okomah, 18 years old. According to Mr Frank Mba, the Lagos State police spokesman, “a team of six policemen were actually on duty, legitimately deployed on what we call a pin down point, or a form of road patrol. It is an anti-crime strategy. In circumstance that appears clearly unjustifiable, one of the police operatives identified as police constable, Segun Agbeyemi, now dismissed from the force, opened fire directly on the Toyota Hiace, white in colour, with two male occupants.”
Mba said that in the process one of the tyres of the bus was damaged. While one of the occupants was hit by a bullet. The young man died before help could come his way.
Mba maintained that the commissioner of police, Lagos State and the entire police command regret the incident.
“We consider the shooting unprovoked and unjustifiable under our rules of engagement. And as a result of that the now dismissed police officer was immediately arrested. He was subjected to our internal disciplinary procedure and was found guilty.
The adjugating officer recommended that he should be dismissed which has since been approved by the Commissioner of Police, Marvel Akpoyibo. The commissioner directed that the accused be arraigned in is competent court of law, that it what we have just done now. We want to commiserate with the family of the deceased without prejudice to the investigation that is going on.
In all honesty, we believe that it is a contradiction on the part of police officers who are paid to protect lives and property, particularly when such killings are unjustifiable part of our reason for trying him today is our determination to put an end to such impunity. Our determination to tell Lagosians that this command is committed to respecting their fundamental rights, including the right to life of the citizens we are paid to protect. We are determined to fight crime and all forms of misdemeanour within the force’, Mba stated.
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