How Police Shot 33-year Old Man Waiting For Free Sallah Ram In Ilaje, Bariga (Pictured)

There was tension in the Ebute Oniyanrin in the Ilaje, Bariga area of Lagos on Tuesday after a police sergeant, Adekan Adesola, shot dead a 33-year-old man, Abiodun Balogun.

The police, however, said Abiodun, known as Anarchy, was a wanted cultist, and died during an exchange of fire.

Abiodun, who worked as a moulder in a block industry, had been called by a friend at about 8am to come to the Oniyanrin area as Sallah gifts were going to be shared by politicians.

It was gathered that Abiodun, who reportedly went with an unidentified friend, was however, manhandled by the police sergeant.

It was learnt that Adesola, who was not in uniform, allegedly dragged Abiodun on the ground, before shooting him. Abiodun’s friend was said to have escaped from the scene.

The deceased’s mother, Aishat Balogun, who was called on the telephone that her son had been shot by a policeman, had gone to the Bariga Police Division, where the sergeant was attached and where the corpse was taken to. The woman was reportedly barred from entering to see Abiodun.

Aishat, who spoke with our correspondent in Yoruba, claimed that the police sergeant had been looking for Balogun as a result of her son’s refusal to join the Eiye cult group which dominated the area. She said,

“I was still with him on Monday, and we were discussing how we would celebrate the Sallah. I did not know that evil was lurking. It was around 8am today (Tuesday) that someone called me and said the sergeant had shot Abiodun dead. The lie they are spreading now is that he was a cultist. 

“But the fact is that Adesola is a notorious policeman in our area. He has been shooting at people, claiming that they are cultists. But Abiodun was not a cultist. They had been luring him to join them, but he refused. I do not know the fate of my son presently. I have not been allowed to see him at the police division.”

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Joe Offor, however, said Abiodun was a wanted cultist by the police, adding that the 33-year-old was shot dead during an exchange of gunfire.

He added that the matter had been transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, for further investigation.

He said,

“He was a wanted cultist by the police. He died during the exchange of fire. He was known in the area as Anarchy. The case has been taken to SARS for further investigation.”