January 5, 2013 by Comfort Oseghale ⁠99 Comments

A police officer assigned to the Bariga Police Division in Lagos is in the soup  for allegedly killing a youth named Banji Lawunmi.

CRIME DIGEST gathered that Inspector Smart Osadolor was recently arrested by his colleagues for shooting Lawunmi during a fight between two rival groups on Iyeleke Street in the Bariga area.

“Lawunmi died about three weeks ago. On the day of the incident, two groups of cultists who routinely go round the Bariga community, harassing building developers and other businesses for levies, received N250, 000. The money was paid by a man who had recently started work on his parcel of land as practised all over Lagos. After collecting the money, a minor disagreement arose over the sharing of the money. Before we knew it, the two groups had started fight,” a resident said, on condition of anonymity.

The source said some residents sent a distress call to the Bariga police division where Osadolor was in charge of the anti-robbery department.

In response to the call, Osadolor was said to have arrived the scene of the fighting in company with another policeman. But, the two feuding groups quickly set upon both men.

“Immediately Osadolor got down from his motorcycle and approached the crowd, they rushed at him.  Frightened, his colleague turned and fled, leaving the inspector alone to face the unruly youths. In an attempt to disperse the crowd, Osadolor fired a shot, which unfortunately hit Lawunmi in the neck. The cultists ran away from the scene.

“Osadolor then helped Lawunmi onto his bike and was about to take him to the police station when more cultists arrived. This time, they were able to drag Osadolor from his motorcycle. Lawunmi was still alive at the time. The cultists attacked Osadolor with bottles and other sharp objects. When they tried to take his gun from him, he fired another shot. With the assistance of a commercial motorcyclist, he was able to escape to a private hospital nearby for treatment. Osadolor was arrested at the hospital by the DPO who was informed that one of his men was being lynched for killing someone,” another resident known as Ola said.

CRIME DIGEST gathered that while Osadolor was being mobbed, some of the cultists took Lawunmi away. A few hours later, news filtered into the community that the youth had died at the Ikeja General Hospital due to loss of blood.

 Angered by Lawunmi’s death, the youths of the community were said to have marched to the police station in Bariga with the intention of burning it.

“If not for the combined effort of police teams from the Area H command and Op Messa, the situation would have degenerated to a riot. After he was arrested at the hospital, Osadolor was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti,” Ola said.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Deputy Superintendent Ngozi Braide, was not available for comment as she did not reply the calls and text messages made to her phone

http://www.punchng.com/feature/crime-digest/police-inspector-arrested-for-alleged-murder/

D news here is that he was arrested.

Murder?
According to the article, he fired the shot in self defense. The policeman will be freed. He was just arrested to appease the community.
SMH

Ok nah.

They arreated him just to placate the youths.

Based on this story he fired the shot to defend himself and I do not see anything wrong in that.


But why did the police not go about arresting officers who kill commercial drivers because of 20 Naira?

Na wa 4 dat Bariga area... I no fit live there o

D police deserve promotion

If he gets a good lawyer he won't be convicted

tobechi74: D police deserve promotion

to encourage other police men to shoot unarmed civillians abi? Olodo

tobechi74: D police deserve promotion

if i were the policeman, i would counter-sue for defamation.

This story doesnt make sense.How can a police man that tried to defend himself from angry extorting mob be arrested?Not just defending himself,he made effort to see if he could take the victim to the hospital but was stopped by the same mob.

Under normal circumstance,the mob should be arrested for extortion and for tyring to lynch a "police officer".But nothing is ever normal in nigeria,there could be more to the story than the press can tell.

These are the vital areas fashola should looking into,how to stop the area boys,the omoiles from taking laws into their wayward hands by harrassing and extorting defenceless innocent citizens like the cicilian mafias do to their victims.

Self-defense don turn crime?

Me thinks dey should arrest the cop who ran away!

when will the mods begin to ban these ''first to coment kids'' i don't think they will ever grow up.

virtuoso01: They arreated him just to placate the youths.

Based on this story he fired the shot to defend himself and I do not see anything wrong in that.


But why did the police not go about arresting officers who kill commercial drivers because of 20 Naira?

Exactly. Since he shot the gun to defend him self I still see nothing wrong in it. Btw what is their gain been called a cultist

Why is my post hidden,if its you sexkillz then plz just ban me,if its d other mod (the older dude) then I'm sorry

If i were the police man, i will shoot at the youths till i empty my clip. This is self defence. Better than the officers that shoot at bus drivers and still go free.

Which kind mad journalist report this news, am still searching for the crime he committed here, if this everythin tht happened then I think this journalist should be sentence to life in prison or better see a doctor via yaba

Die! Die!! Die!!! may his soul rest in PIECES.....................OMOBURUKU.................OMO ONILE. A beg free d inspector joor

water don pass garri
oga don run away
those run away officers are cowards

TO SAY THE FACT THE INSPECTOR SMART IS ONE OF THE POLICE THAT ERADICATE BARIGA AND IS DOING WELL SO A PARENT SHOULD TRAIN AND WARN HIS CHILDREN NOT TO TERRORISE THE COMMUNITY(EKO O NI BAJE)

cockyjay: to encourage other police men to shoot unarmed civillians abi? Olodo

see who is caling anoda "olodo" whereas he is the bigest olodo. There is a section in the police constitution that permit the police to use firearms when their life and that of the gun they are carrying is at stake. We shud rather giv kudos to Osadorlor 4 his bravery and agility instead of making mockery of ourselves on nairaland

Lagos and Omonile syndrome... Small time they ll have their own uniform

As tragic as this is i must say the police man does'nt deserve to be arrested. He defended himself against a possible attack by the cultist. This should encourage the authorities to be able to provide gadgets like tassers,stun guns, pepper spray and othetr 21st century policing items. I empatize with the farmily of the dead.

Godjone: see who is caling anoda "olodo" whereas he is the bigest olodo. There is a section in the police constitution that permit the police to use firearms when their life and that of the gun they are carrying is at stake. We shud rather giv kudos to Osadorlor 4 his bravery and agility instead of making mockery of ourselves on nairaland

dont b so dumb or shallow in thinking this officers need better training in manning and use of their wepeons,there should have been a better way of the whole thing without the loss of an unarmed innocent citizen,the one who died was he qualified to die? what offence did he commit?,should his family sit and clapp for the officer who in a bid to ransome his life took thier loved one? what if he was ur blood brother? the police have not been able to adequately account for the value of life that has been put to their custody,i only give credit to d officer since he intended to take the boy to d hospital if actaully it was true and not taking him to d station were he would hav bled to death as their usuall practice

As tragic as this is i must say the police man does'nt deserve to be arrested. He defended himself against a possible attack by the cultist. This should encourage the authorities to be able to provide gadgets like tassers,stun guns, pepper spray and other 21st century policing items. I empatize with the farmily of the dead.

brownlord: Which kind mad journalist report this news, am still searching for the crime he committed here, if this everythin tht happened then I think this journalist should be sentence to life in prison or better see a doctor via yaba

If you have been to Bariga, Shomolu and Pedro- you will know there is more to this story.

The community detest the police because of their abuse of power, illegal detentions and extortion. Thugs and touts actually have close relationship with these cops.

This particular attack is obviously premeditated.

In a civilized society, Osadalor would be promoted for bravery.