The Lagos State Police Command has verified the demise of a one-year-old infant during an assault in Egan Oriomi, located in the Otto Awori Local Council Development Area of Ojo, Lagos State.
According to Benjamin Hundeyin, the State Police Public Relations Officer, who spoke with PUNCH Metro on Sunday, several residents of the community sustained various injuries during the attack.
During an interview with our correspondent, Hundeyin stated, “There was an attack on the community on Saturday morning. They burnthouses and there was a baby found in the burnt houses. When the police got there, they saw houses that were burnt and shops looted. Some members of the community also sustained gunshot wounds.”
Reports indicate that unidentified individuals invaded the community on Friday night, discharging firearms indiscriminately.
A police insider, who was aware of the situation but opted for anonymity due to a lack of authorization to discuss the matter, informed our correspondent that the sound of gunfire prompted residents to flee for safety.
The source said, “Some hoodlums who were bearing different kinds of weapons invaded the community on Friday night. They started shooting and breaking into people’s homes. They also started to inflict injuries on anyone they sighted. The attack went on throughout midnight and by the time they were done, about 10 people were already shot.
“The hoodlums also set some houses in the community on fire and that was what led to the burning of an infant. The mother of the baby was indoors with her two kids when they torched the house she was in. The shock made her escape with only her first child while the baby was left behind. When we arrived in the morning, we saw the remains of the baby while the father also wept bitterly while carrying it.”
The police source added that beyond setting some buildings on fire, the attackers also destroyed many properties.
In the interim, security personnel have been deployed to the site of the occurrence to prevent any further incidents.
According to information gathered by our correspondent, several injured individuals, including an elderly man, have been transported to the hospital, while others with minor injuries have been released.
A resident of the community, who declined to reveal his identity due to the sensitive nature of the incident, informed our correspondent that the attack stemmed from a dispute over leadership.
The source said, “The incident was due to a leadership tussle which had existed for more than eight years. The people had kicked against a new traditional ruler who was not an indigene of the community. They insisted on submitting to the leadership of a monarch who has roots in the community.”
Hundeyin who spoke further on the matter confirmed that there had been a crisis bordering on a leadership tussle in the community.
He said, “There has been a leadership tussle in the community before the incident, and we treat it as a civil matter. Our own is to maintain peace and order and we have been doing our best to do that before this particular midnight attack. We are not linking the leadership crisis to what happened. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause.”