Armed gang break graduate’s skull with hammer in lagos

THE VICINITY OF THE INCIDENT

Firstclass newsline learnt that some hoodlums on Friday killed a
30-year-old university graduate, Sodiq Shittu, at the Lawani Street in
the Mushin area of Lagos State.
Eyewitnesses told firstclass newsline that the victim's skull was
broken open with a hammer before one of the gang members carried a big
stone and crushed his head.
It was learnt that Shittu, whose wife was five months pregnant,
graduated from a university in Ogun State.
Firstclass newsline learnt that the incident was the third time in
four months that hoodlums would kill a resident of the street.
In March, a truck loader, identified as Gbenga, was shot dead by some
suspected cult members for reportedly supporting a political party.
On May 19, a source reported that a tricycle driver, Debo Oturu, who
was on a visit to his mother, was attacked and shot dead.
Firstclass newsline was told that the latest incident happened around
4pm on Friday.
When our crew visited the street on Saturday, three gun-wielding
policemen were seen patrolling the deserted street..
They also did not allow d media man into the apartment, saying reports
on the spate of killings in the area had made no difference.
While at the door, a woman said, "It is barely 24 hours that he was
killed and you are here; for what? We are in no mood to talk, please
go."
Another lady wondered what the family would gain from the publication.
She said, "In March, somebody was killed on the street. Less than
three weeks ago, they also murdered another person. And now, they have
killed him. What did the government do? Or are they waiting for them
to kill all the people in the area before they act?"
A source , however, gathered that Shittu was the first of three
children and his mother had died two years earlier.
A source said, "He also has a wife, who is five months pregnant."
Many of the houses on Lawani Street were shut, while commercial
activities were grounded, with few residents peeping from their homes.
A resident, who declined identification, told firstclass newsline that
Shittu had bought a sachet of pure water from a vendor and had gone
out in company with two of his friends, Ibrahim and Owusu, when he was
attacked.
She said, "Sodiq (Shittu) was a gentle young man; he did not make
trouble with people. Around 4pm, he went out of the street with two of
his friends when they were attacked.
"Actually, there were two guys, who were monitoring their movement.
Immediately they came out, the two spies signalled to their
colleagues, who were in a commercial vehicle.
"They were many and they waylaid the three boys on the road. Ibrahim
ran and escaped. Owusu was stabbed, but he managed to run inside the
street. They, however, got Sodiq and pinned him down.
"One of them brought out a hammer and broke his skull open. They also
gouged out his eyes. Then, one of them brought a big stone and dropped
it on his head."
Firstclass newsline learnt that the hoodlums attempted to set Shittu's
remains on fire, but his friends and neighbours chased them away.
Policemen from the Alakara Division were said to have taken the corpse
and deposited it in a mortuary in the Morocco, Somolu area of the
state.
Blood marks were on the spot where his corpse was laid after he was killed.
Investigations by a source showed that the hoodlums came from Ereko
Street, where a gang leader, identified as Toba, had his domain.
They were said to be embroiled in a supremacy clash with residents of
Lawani Street over collection of some fees from traders on the street.
The Lawani residents were said to have resisted Toba's attempts to
dominate their area by taking fees from the traders.
Toba, who is facing murder charges together with another notorious
warlord, Muda Adigun, was reportedly released on bail by the state
high court.
Some residents, who were approached by our crew, declined to speak
with our crew for safety reasons. They said the police and the
government had been compromised.
A woman said, "All the kids here know the sounds of gunshots. Our old
women are getting hypertensive and nobody seems to care."
Another resident said, "Fashola (a former Governor of Lagos State) was
here and nothing happened. These people have been invited to Alausa
(the state secretariat) for peace to reign, yet nothing happened. For
more than seven years, this place has been under siege and we are
helpless. You better run if you value your life. They can start again
any moment from now and we will not harbour you."
Attempts by a source on Sunday to reach out to Toba and his alleged
gang members failed, as their lines were unreachable.
Firstclassnewsline.net