One dead as soldiers, ‘omo-onile’ clash in Lagos

A man has been allegedly shot dead by soldiers during a clash with some boys said to be omo onile (land owners) in the Ebute Meta/Otto area of Lagos, on Saturday, August 26, 2023.

It was gathered that the soldiers were deployed to secure some Chinese workers carrying out maintenance construction along the railway tracks but some boys in the area tried to stop the work.

According to a report by Punch, the boys were always having issues with the construction workers.

“The Chinese workers have stopped using the police because they feel like the police could not handle the boys. So they brought soldiers,” the source said.

Spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, told the news outlet that the Railway Command was in charge of the area.

“It’s not under our jurisdiction but that of the Railway Command,” the PPRO said.

A source in the police command who confirmed the incident to the publication, expressed displeasure over the continued atrocities allegedly being committed by soldiers in Lagos.

“It happened around 1 pm in the Ebutte Meta/Otto area. It is becoming too much. We can’t continue like this. I also have my family in Lagos. Will people just be dying in the hands of soldiers anyhow? It has to stop. Whenever they come out for that kind of mission, they don’t wear tags, so you can’t identify or trace them,” the police source said.