Siblings, three others shot dead over politicians’ gifts in Ajegunle

Two brothers along with three other persons have been shot dead in the Ajegunle area of Lagos after hoodlums hijacked a campaign rally while the politicians were distributing gifts to the residents.

PUNCH Metro learnt that the campaign rally, which was organised by a Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress, went through Oduduwa and Layinka streets in the area, and moved down to Cemetery Road in Amukoko.

Our correspondent gathered that the rally, however, turned violent on Layinka Street when some politicians, who were said to have accompanied the Senatorial candidate, began to share out gifts.

It was learnt that as the supporters and residents scrambled for the items, some thugs, who felt they were being sidelined, attacked the supporters.

Two other factions of the thugs also reportedly clashed, shooting at one another and vandalising property.

Our correspondent learnt that two young men of the same parents, identified simply as Abeeb and Idris, were among the five persons killed by the bullets.

It was gathered that Abeeb, more commonly called Abere, was shot twice in the belly and died instantly, while Idris, his younger brother, was initially rushed to a private hospital in the area before he died.

The two youths lived with their parents on Alayabiagba Street, Boundary, Ajegunle.

When PUNCH Metro visited the area on Wednesday, a police source told our correspondent that two corpses were brought to the Ajegunle Police Division on Tuesday after the police had restored normalcy to the area.

He said, “Two dead bodies from the rally were brought to the station by evening. Later, a well known politician showed up to arrange how they would be buried. This morning, we have gone to the Cemetery Market, Ajegunle, to pick up another corpse.”

Our correspondent also observed broken bottles and smashed windows and doors on Layinka Street where the rally had turned bloody.

A shop owner, who gave her name as Ojedokun, said the thugs looted her goods and shot continually, during which stray bullets injured several passersby.

She said, “Trouble started when the aspirant began to share out gifts to supporters. He gave out mobile phones, pressing irons, among other things. As people scrambled for those gifts, trouble began.

“The thugs brought out guns and began to shoot to scare away people. They began to smash bottles on the ground and attack one another. Even the policemen, who accompanied the rally, fled for their lives.

“Stray bullets hit people. We later heard that about six people were shot dead.”

Another resident told our correspondent that the corpse recovered by the police at the Cemetery Market was a young man, who was hacked to death.

He said, “The two brothers, who were shot dead, are being buried as I speak to you. There is no one in their house as they have gone away. The corpse that we saw at the Cemetery Market was a man hacked to death, but the police have taken him away.”

When PUNCH Metro got to the Amukoko Police Division, our correspondent observed yet another dead victim of the violence, who was covered with a wrapper and laid on the ground.

It was learnt that the parents of the deceased, who hailed from Badagry area, had shown up at the station and were planning to come back for the corpse.

Our correspondent was told that a policeman was also shot during the unrest and had been taken to a hospital for treatment.

The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the incident.

He added that the police were making efforts to apprehend the “criminals”.

He said, “The police in Ajegunle recovered two corpses, and the Amukoko division recovered another one.

“The cause of the violence was that some hoodlums again went on a rampage.

“Intense efforts are ongoing to arrest the perpetrators of the violence.”