The Lagos State Police Command has detained an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Omotayo Olajide, following a shooting incident in Ajegunle that claimed the life of a young girl and left another injured.
The incident occurred on Thursday, November 5, between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. in the Nosamu area of Ajegunle.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said preliminary investigations indicated that the officer was deployed following a distress call over a violent clash between two rival groups, the Nosamu Boys and Alayabiagba Boys, reportedly fighting over toll collection.
The groups were said to have been armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons when police personnel responded to the disturbance.
During the operation, Olajide discharged his firearm, hitting two girls caught in the incident.
Both victims were initially rushed to Ajeromi General Hospital, while one was subsequently transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, where she later died. The second girl is receiving medical attention and is said to be in stable condition.
The police said the officer had been disarmed and detained, while the investigation had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for a thorough and impartial probe.
The Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, has also visited the bereaved family to offer his condolences and assure them that justice would be served.
Fatai pledged that any officer found culpable would face appropriate legal and disciplinary action, stressing that no personnel would be shielded.
The Command expressed sadness over the death of the child and reaffirmed its commitment to professionalism, transparency and accountability.
It urged anyone with useful information about the incident to report to the nearest police station or the Command’s Public Relations Department.