The family of Mr. Adeniyi Asubiaro, a 32-year-old man, who was allegedly shot dead by a policeman, and the Lagos State Police Command have disagreed on who killed the victim.
While the family insisted that Asubiaro was gunned down by a policeman, identified as Inspector Akeem Skoda, the command said such name did not exist in the police database.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Asubiaro was shot dead in front of his house on Thursday, November 20. The incident occurred on Oshodi Street, Lagos Island.
It was gathered that a police patrol team had come to the area to raid a birthday party on the street which was reportedly turning violent.
While the youth fled, Skoda, a policeman on the team, had allegedly opened fire on them and Asubiaro, sitting in front of his apartment, had been hit by a stray bullet.
Asubiaro’s aged mother, identified as Iyabode, said when she got to the hospital where her son was rushed to, he was already dead.
She said, “I had initially gone to his house that Thursday. As I was leaving, I came across some youths in a birthday party at the end of the street. I passed them and headed for my shop on a neighbouring street.
“Scarcely had I sat down when someone came, shouting that I had an emergency at the hospital. When I got there, I found out it was my son who was shot dead.
“His friends said it was one Inspector Akeem Skoda from the Lion Building Division who shot him dead during a raid. The inspector was said to have fired the shot at the partying youths when the bullet hit my son in front of his house.”
However, the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said the name, Akeem Skoda, was not in the police database, adding that investigations were still ongoing on the allegation.
He said, “I have got in touch with the Lion Building Division and that name does not exist in the station. We don’t have any Inspector Akeem Skoda in the Lagos command. However, we are investigating the allegation and when investigations are concluded, we will let the people know.
“When people cannot identify the exact location of an incident, it becomes an issue to know who were involved.
“Before any death can be confirmed, there are procedures such as who killed the victim and where he died.”
However, a resident, who claimed to be an eyewitness, Mr. Akeem Ajisafe, said youths on the street burnt tyres to mourn Asubiaro after the incident.
He said, “We suspect he was shot by the police officer. The policemen were running after some thugs who were at a birthday party and they fired.
“He was hit in the process. Unfortunately, he was not one of the hoodlums.
“Everyone was enraged by that stray bullet which killed an innocent man. Asubiaro got married this year.”
Efforts by our correspondent to speak with the widow, Mrs. Idayat Asubiaro, who is eight-month pregnant, were unsuccessful as of press time.
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