Eko Hot Blog reports that residents of Obalende have been thrown into mourning after one of their own, Toheeb Eniafe, was shot at a petrol station belonging to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in the area.
The incident, according to PUNCH happened late Wednesday and has left residents in the area in fear.
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It was gathered that Eniafe was in the queue to get petrol when the incident happened.
While in the queue, two men, believed to be military officers, attempted to drive into the station to buy petrol even though they were not in the queue to get the product.
This was reportedly met with stiff resistance from people in the queue; many of whom had been waiting for hours.
Several eyewitnesses confirmed that Eniafe spearheaded the argument, telling the men to join the queue like everyone else.
Toheeb Eniafe
This further degenerated into a fisticuff and the eventual death of the young man after one of the men shot him and fled the scene.
Scarcity of premium motor spirit popularly called petrol has caused untold hardship for Nigerians.
The scarcity has led to an increase in transport fares and queues at various filling stations selling the product.
A resident, who gave his name as Mr. Amos Ayo, who said he witnessed the incident, alleged that the officers were from the Department of State Services as they had their branded polo shirts.
Ayo narrated, “I saw them. They are men of the DSS. They came to the scene to buy fuel but refused to join the queue.
“That is what they always do. It was not Toheeb’s turn yet but he confronted them, asking them to join the queue or be polite about the way they went about the purchase.
Also speaking, a young man who gave his name as Capo told PUNCH Online that he knew the deceased.
“This place (Obalende) is a very small place. Everybody knows everybody. Toheeb stays in the Dolphin Estate area. He is a Muslim. He is supposed to be buried today but his body has been taken by the police to the morgue for investigation and possibly autopsy,” he said.
Asked whether he was at the scene of the crime, Capo said, “Of course, I was there. I saw it with my own eyes. We were the ones who pursued the men that did the crime but one of them shot his gun in the air and people ran away. That was the way he could escape.
“One hid under a bus so we set it on fire. He also ran away. We initially thought they were policemen but they are not. I can tell you that for free. Just imagine how they have taken the life of that young man now for nothing.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.
Benjamin Hundeyin, Lagos State Police PRO
He said a young man, Toheeb Eniafe, was killed and two vehicles burnt. He, however, said the identity of the shooters was not yet ascertained as investigations were ongoing.
“I can confirm that somebody was shot dead. I can confirm that the body has been deposited in the morgue.
“Two vehicles were burnt. The identity of the shooter is still unknown but investigations are ongoing to unravel that. The deceased’s name is Toheeb Eniafe.”
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Reacting to the incident via a text message, DSS spokesman, Peter Afunnaya, denied any of its officers was part of the imbroglio.
“It is not true (that a DSS officer shot Toheeb). Kindly deepen your investigations to uncover the truth. There’s no single DSS staff was involved in the matter.” he said
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