An unidentified man was tragically killed in the Otto area of Lagos mainland in a clash between area boys and soldiers whose identities are yet to be disclosed.
Reports reveal that the soldiers were dispatched to provide security for Chinese workers engaged in maintenance construction along the railway tracks.
According to a source, the clash was sparked by ongoing tensions between local youths, referred to as ‘Omo onile,’ and 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.
A video of the incident sighted by GOOD EVENING NIGERIA depicts two men in military attire firing shots in the area, prompting panic among the residents.
A voice in the background is heard exclaiming, “You can see. Officer, you’ve killed someone. You’ve killed someone. Look at the person. They’re killing people.”
Another video shows the lifeless body of the man lying in a pool of blood, alleged to be the victim of the soldiers’ gunfire. Bystanders are seen gathered around the scene, visibly distressed.
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Neither police, nor Nigerian Army has comment on the incident.
However a source in the police command, while confirming the incident, expressed concern over alleged recurrent actions by soldiers that result in harm within 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,” the police source told PUNCH
“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.”
GOOD EVENING NIGERIA reports that thus development comes two weeks after a group of soldiers brutally assaulted a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officer.
The footage of the altercation captures the soldiers relentlessly beating the officer while he fervently begged them to stop. But they did not yield.
The soldiers used both blows and planks to beat the officer to pulp before leaving the area.