Afeez Hanafi
A pregnant woman, identified only as Iya Abdulsalam, has been shot dead, while six others sustained gunshot injuries after hoodlums stormed Jebba Street, in the Oyingbo area of Lagos State.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the gang, led by one Itakun, had gone to the area on Thursday, at about 9pm to attack members of a factional group at a drinking joint.
They were said to have shot into the air to announce their presence during which a stray bullet hit Iya Abdulsalam, two siblings – Gbenga and Olaoluwa – and four others.
Our correspondent gathered that the woman had visited her husband’s brother in the area and was in front of his shop when the bullet hit her.
She and other victims were rushed to a health centre in the community, where she was confirmed dead. Others were said to be responding to treatment.
An eyewitness, Toba Kamoru, said the incident created panic in the neighbourhood as people scampered to safety, adding that one of the hoodlums was arrested by the police on Friday.
“There is a woman, who sells herbs and local gins at Cemetery, by Jebba Street; a lot of people usually gather around her in the evening. We were there when we suddenly heard gunshots. We all fled in different directions.
“It was when the dust had settled that I learnt that Iya Abdulsalam was shot dead. She sold paint on Lagos Island. She was pregnant. Her husband’s brother she came to visit is called Emir.”
A resident, who gave his name only as Henric, said he was returning from work when the incident happened. He said he could not explain how he got home in the ensuing chaos.
“I later learnt the hoodlums came for rival gang members. They thought their targets were at the joint. Unfortunately, it was innocent people who were trapped, especially the pregnant woman,” he added.
A trader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, urged the police to intensify raids on black spots in Oyingbo, saying residents were disturbed by incessant gang wars in the community.
When PUNCH Metro visited the area on Friday, it was noted that normalcy had been restored. A neigbour said Emir, a fashion designer, had gone for the burial of Iya Abdulsalam.
A nurse on duty at the health centre declined our correspondent’s request to see the residents who were admitted.
“They are recuperating. But for security reasons, we don’t want them to receive visitors for now,” she added.
The police spokesperson, SP Dolapo Badmos, said the armourer of the gang, one Baba Jara, had been apprehended by the Denton Police Division.
She said, “At about 3pm on Friday, clues led the DPO, SP Saheed Quadri, to a notorious member of the gang and he was arrested. The suspect, known as Baba Jara, is the armourer of the gang.
“He confessed to being a member of late Sunday Terror gang. He said the new gang, led by one Itakun, shot five persons on Jebba Street on Thursday, killing a woman. We shall flush all the hoodlums out.”
Punch
