The death of a one-year-old baby has been confirmed by the Lagos State Police Command following an attack at Egan Oriomi, in the Otto Awori Local Council Development Area of Ojo, Lagos State.
In a statement released to newsmen on Sunday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, explained that several residents of the community were injured during the attack.
According to Hundeyin, there was an assault on the community on Saturday morning, resulting in the burning down of houses.
He noted that a baby was discovered in one of the burnt houses later.
“When the police got there, they saw houses that were burnt and shops looted. Some members of the community also sustained gunshot wounds,” the police spokesperson confirmed.
Naija News learnt that some hoodlums invaded the community on Friday night, shooting sporadically.
A police source, who chose to remain unidentified due to lack of authorization to comment, informed journalists that the sound of gunfire caused residents to flee for safety.
He said: “Some hoodlums who were bearing different kinds of weapons invaded the community on Friday night. They started shooting and breaking into people’s homes. They also started to inflict injuries on anyone they sighted. The attack went on throughout midnight and by the time they were done, about 10 people were already shot.
“The hoodlums also set some houses in the community on fire and that was what led to the burning of an infant. The mother of the baby was indoors with her two kids when they torched the house she was in. The shock made her escape with only her first child while the baby was left behind. When we arrived in the morning, we saw the remains of the baby while the father also wept bitterly while carrying it.”
In addition to igniting several buildings, the assailants caused extensive damage to numerous properties, as stated by the police source.
Security personnel have been deployed to the location to prevent a similar incident from happening again.
Reports, however, revealed that a number of wounded individuals, including an elderly man, have been transported to the hospital for treatment. Those with minor injuries have already been released, Naija News learnt.
A community resident who also chose to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the situation informed journalists that the attack stemmed from a disagreement over leadership.
The source said, “The incident was due to a leadership tussle which had existed for more than eight years. The people had kicked against a new traditional ruler who was not an indigene of the community. They insisted on submitting to the leadership of a monarch who has roots in the community.”
Hundeyin, who spoke further on the matter, told reporters that a crisis had been bordering on a leadership tussle in the community.
He said, “There has been a leadership tussle in the community before the incident, and we treat it as a civil matter. Our own is to maintain peace and order and we have been doing our best to do that before this particular midnight attack. We are not linking the leadership crisis to what happened. An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause.”
Upon being reached out to, the Executive Chairman of Oto-Awori LCDA, Prince Musibau Asafa, informed newsmen that he was attending a church service.
According to reports, Asafa has not commented on the development since, despite multiple attempts to contact him via phone calls and messages.
