The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the murder of a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) Kazeem Abonde by riotous commercial motorcyclists at Ajao Estate.
Abonde, an officer attached to the Command’s operations department, was hacked to death by a mob of motorcyclists on Thursday evening during a joint operation to enforce ban of commercial motorcycles from certain routes.
According to reports, mob disarmed the senior officer, killed him and proceeded to attack other officers.
They also damaged one of the patrol vehicles used by the joint team comprising operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Taskforce, Ajao Estate Division and other divisions.
According to a statement on Friday afternoon by the Command’s spokesman, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Ajao Estate, CSP Abdullahi Malla and other police officers were injured during the attack.
Ajisebutu said: “The Lagos State Police Command lost one of its finest officers during a raid on criminal hideouts in Ajao Estate, Lagos State, yesterday 23rd September, 2021.
“The incident happened when tactical teams of the command comprising men drawn from RRS, Taskforce, Ajao Estate Division and other divisions were carrying out raid of identified flashpoints and enforcing the ban on use of motorcycles in restricted areas in the Estate and similar places in the state.
“The exercise was a routine proactive approach aimed at curtailing activities of armed robbers and other criminal elements in the state. Similar exercises were carried out in the past in other parts of the state which have resulted in reduction in crimes in the areas.
“After the successful operations which led to the arrest of some of the suspects, other criminal elements and hoodlums in their large number laid siege to the exit of the Estate and attacked the policemen with guns, cutlasses and other dangerous weapons.
“Unfortunately, during the fatal attack, CSP Kazeem Sumonu Abonde attached to the Operations Department of the command was brutally killed by the hoodlums.
“The DPO Ajao Estate, CSP Abdullahi Malla and other Police officers equally sustained varying degrees of injuries. The corpse of the deceased officer has been deposited at the Yaba Mainland Hospital for autopsy.
“The Commissioner of Police CP), Hakeem Odumosu, while condemning the attack on the policemen who were carrying out legitimate duty at the time, has directed that a discreet investigation into the incident should be carried out immediately.
“The CP has equally vowed to ensure that all suspects responsible for the dastardly act would be brought to book soon.
“The Commissioner of Police has promised that this mournful incident would not dampen the morale of the command or discourage it from carrying out its statutory duties of protecting lives and property of the citizens in Lagos State.”
