Ibeju-Lekki (Lagos State): Mr Sesan Olowa, Chairman of the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State, has appealed to the Arewa community in the Onosa community of the council to remain calm over the alleged killing of their relatives by a policeman.
Olowa made the plea during a meeting with Arewa community leaders in the Ibeju-Lekki area on Sunday.
A policeman allegedly shot and killed a commercial motorcycle (Okada) rider on Thursday in the community.
Speaking during a meeting with leaders of the Arewa community led by Seriki Abubakar, the council chairman described the incident as unfortunate and avoidable.
He urged community members not to take the law into their own hands but to allow justice to prevail.
Olowa said he had listened with rapt attention to the account of the Seriki-general, who narrated how the killings occurred and the subsequent civil unrest in the community.
He assured the people that the culprit would be brought to justice.
The council boss also pledged that the relatives of the deceased would be duly compensated.
He disclosed that a peace and security committee would soon convene a meeting between the leadership of the Okada Riders Association in the community and the police to review the incident and prevent its recurrence.
“Justice will be served, and we will do everything possible to maintain peace and unity in our community,” Olowa said.
The meeting was attended by Abdullahi Sadu of the Onosa community, Abdurasaq Sahabi, Epe Seriki, Rabiu Umaru, a family member of one of the deceased, Musa Sule, Chairman of the Arewa community in Ibeju-Lekki.
Others are Hassan Muhammed, Seriki of Awoyaya, and Mustapha Shabi Ibrahim, Secretary-General of the Arewa community in the local government area.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Olohundare Jimoh, has issued a fresh directive prohibiting officers at divisional and area command levels from arresting commercial motorcycle riders.
The order, relayed from the Control Room of the police command in Ikeja on Saturday, emphasised that only the Lagos State Task Force has the authority to arrest or impound motorcycles.
Similarly, the command said it had taken into custody six officers of the Elemoro Division who opened fire during an altercation with the okada riders in the community.
The spokesperson for the command, Benjamin Hundeyin, stated in a press release that the Commissioner of Police, after restoring normalcy in the community, met with youth and community leaders to calm tensions and avert further breakdown of law and order.