Soldiers gun down 15-year-old boy, keke operator in Lagos
Soldiers attached to Operation MESA have allegedly shot and killed a 15-year-old boy, Pelumi Sulaimon, and a tricycle operator, Aloma, in Lagos State.
Eyewitnesses alleged that the soldiers were hired by political thugs to carry out a reprisal on their opponents in the community on Sunday, February 26th.
Residents in the area claimed that the soldiers arrived in a van with the inscription of OP MESA on it and started shooting indiscriminately.
READ ALSO: Gunmen invade Taraba’s monarch palace, kidnap son, 2 wives
According to the residents, Pelumi was on his way to buy drinks for his friends to celebrate his birthday, when he was hit by a stray bullet.
While Aloma on the other hand was mistaken for one of their targets and was shot dead.
An anonymous source that spoke to newsmen said the incident is a result of a clash caused by political rivalry in the community.
According to the source, a clash occurred on Thursday night and was settled after the intervention of some residents in the area. However, there was another confrontation between the political parties during the election held on Saturday.
On Sunday, a thug belonging to one of the political parties brought soldiers and stormed the base where the clash occurred the last time. When they got there, they did not meet their targets, so the soldiers who were attached to the OP MESA started to shoot indiscriminately, leading to the death of the victims.
Confirming the incident, Pelumi’s elder brother, Afeez, said he was with his friends when a resident told him that his brother had been shot by soldiers.
He rushed down to the spot and saw his immediate younger sister trying to lift Pelumi from the ground. They carried him to a hospital, but he passed away.
Afeez said the hospital asked them to get a police report before releasing the corpse, so the police took the corpse from the hospital and deposited it in the mortuary.
He said the incident has thrown his entire family and the entire community into mourning.
“Pelumi had just turned 15 years old on the day he was shot, and he was looking forward to celebrating with his friends,” he lamented.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident and said that the case is at the State Criminal Investigation Department.
Hundeyin said no suspect has been arrested yet, and the investigation is still ongoing.
The Deputy Director, of Public Relations, 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Olabisi Ayeni, could not be reached for comment. He had yet to reply to a text message sent to his mobile number as of the time this report was filed.