A police Inspector, Erin Folarin Ayodeji, and a yet-to-be identified man, were on Monday shot dead after policemen and #EndSARS protesters clashed in Lagos.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the supposed #EndSARS protesters, who were armed, attacked police operatives at the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Lagos State Police Command in Surulere.
The protesters allegedly shot Ayodeji, who died immediately, while two other officers, Inspector Ekei Joshua and Inspector Peter Agabi, sustained gun shot wounds.
Speaking on the bloody attack, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the injured Inspectors were receiving treatment at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).
Adejobi, who said the protesters were armed with Dane guns and pump action rifles, said they broke into the cell with a view to releasing suspects.
The PPRO said: “ The protesters attacked the Anti-Kidnapping Unit, they shot three policemen and their intestines were out. One of them is dead, the other two critically injured are receiving treatment at the hospital. They also broke into the cell.”
On the shooting of the midde-aged man, Olumuyiwa said the man who was killed was not a protester, but a passerby hit by a stray bullet.
Though the PPRO was yet to confirm if any arrest was made, he, however, stated that the protest which had been peaceful for the past six days had been hijacked by hoodlums.
Stating that the CP had called for calm and professionalism, Olumuyiwa said the CP also urged parent to monitor their wards so as not to be used by crimianl-minded persons.
Recall that the Inspector – General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Adamu, had on Sunday, dissolved the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The IGP also ordered the immediate the immediate redeployment of operatives from the unit.
The dissolution of the unit followed days of protest by youths, celebrities, who took to the streets and the social media, to protest SARS brutality, extortion and police impunity.
