The Lagos State Police Command has detained an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Omotayo Olajide, following an incident in which his firearm discharged during a police operation in Ajegunle, killing one girl and injuring another.
The incident happened on Thursday, November 5, between 9.30 pm and 10 pm, in the Nosamu area of Ajegunle, where police officers had responded to a clash between two rival groups.
In a statement released on Saturday, the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said Olajide discharged his firearm during the operation, striking the two girls.
The clash reportedly involved the Nosamu Boys and Alayabiagba Boys, who were allegedly fighting over toll collection.
“Preliminary findings show that the personnel had been deployed after a distress call about a violent clash between two rival groups, the Nosamu Boys and the Alayabiagba Boys, over toll collection. The groups were reportedly armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.
“During the operation, ASP Olajide discharged his firearm, and the bullet struck the two girls. Both girls were rushed to Ajeromi General Hospital. One was later transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, where she gave up. The other child is receiving medical attention and is in stable condition,” the police said.
The deceased was identified as Omole Taiwo.
The police said Olajide had been disarmed and taken into custody, while the case had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation.
“The inquiry will establish exactly what happened and determine the appropriate legal and disciplinary action,” the statement said.
The Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, visited the deceased girl’s family to express his condolences and assured them that the investigation would be thorough.
He also promised that any officer found responsible for wrongdoing would face the appropriate consequences.
However, the police statement did not clarify whether the officer deliberately fired at the rival groups, whether the girls were caught in the line of fire or whether the firearm discharged accidentally.
The incident recalls a similar fatal shooting in Ajegunle in April 2019, when 20-year-old Ada Ifeanyi was killed and a man, Emmanuel Akomafuwa, sustained injuries.
Following that incident, Inspector Dania Ojo was declared wanted, while five other police officers were arrested.
Ojo was later dismissed from the force after an investigation found him guilty of abusing his authority and unlawfully using his firearm.