We did not know there were policemen in the area. It was Temidayo who fired the gun, while I was hit by bullets fired by the policemen.”

This was the account of 45-year-old Tosin Agbeyangi, a caterer arrested after a failed reprisal attack by suspected cultists in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi, Lagos, ended in a gun battle with policemen on routine patrol.

Agbeyangi, who sustained a gunshot wound in the leg during the exchange of fire, told journalists that he and members of his group had gone to confront rival gang members they blamed for the killing of one of their associates, identified simply as Samuel, four days earlier.

He explained: “We were coming from a birthday party around Araromi in Oshodi when we decided to go and check our rival gang members from Araromi Orile, who usually stayed in front of Koko Zaria’s house. There were about five or six of us. Some of them were from Mushin, while only three of us were from Oshodi.

“We wanted to attack them because they killed one of us, Samuel, a few days earlier. We did not know there were policemen in the area at that time. It was Temidayo who fired the gun, while I was hit by bullets fired by the policemen.

“We didn’t have any intention of killing anyone. We only wanted to shoot into the air. Temidayo held the gun. He was among those who came from Mushin. I don’t really know him. We used to meet in the ghetto. Only two or three of us are from Oshodi,” he added.

Agbeyangi, who denied that the group was sent by anyone to attack the residence of the NURTW leader, popularly known as Koko Zaria, painted a picture of a community sharply divided along rival camps allegedly associated with influential transport union figures.

He claimed there were two dominant factions operating in Oshodi.

According to him, one group identified with what members called the “Oluomo Nation,” while the other was aligned with the “Koko Zaria Nation.”

He said:”In Oshodi now, there are two factions. Those from Orile Oshodi around Mabolaje belong to Koko Zaria Nation, while boys from Mafoluku, Ewu and Eniyanlonbinu belong to Oluomo Nation. They have been fighting each other.

“We are not members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers. It is not that these people are giving us any money; we just support them.”

•Planned revenge mission*

Investigators said the incident, which occurred at about 10:45 p.m. on Mabolaje Street, Mafoluku, was anything but spontaneous.

Police sources alleged that Agbeyangi led about six suspected cult members to the area. The source said:”Koko Zaria was at his residence with some people when the suspects stormed the area. Unknown to them, policemen on routine patrol had also stopped there after noticing unusual movement.

“The suspects opened fire towards where they believed their rivals were gathered. The officers immediately returned fire and the suspects fled in different directions.”

The Divisional Police Officer in the area reportedly mobilised reinforcement, while officers combed the neighbourhood for the fleeing suspects.

According to the police source, officers noticed blood stains leading away from the scene.

The trail eventually led them to a nearby canal, where Agbeyangi, nursing a gunshot wound to his leg, was allegedly found hiding.

Police said they recovered a locally made pistol with one live cartridge and a Browning pistol magazine containing five rounds of live ammunition from him.

*Police vow crackdown*

Confirming the arrest, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said the suspect was in custody while investigations continued to identify and arrest other members of the fleeing gang.

She warned criminal elements across the state to desist from acts capable of threatening public peace or be prepared to face the full weight of the law. (Sunday Vanguard)

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