Untold story of how policemen killed spare parts dealer in Lagos

Contrary to reports that men in police uniform killed a foreigner at Daleko area of Lagos State on Thursday, The Eagle Online investigation revealed that the victim was not a foreigner but a middle aged Igbo man and a dealer in vehicle spare parts.
The man, popularly known as “Millionaire” by traders and associates, according to eyewitnesses, was killed by men suspected to be riot policemen, popularly referred to as Mobile Policemen, on the Daleko Bridge along the Mushin /Isolo Expressway at about 7am.
The victim was said to be driving himself.
He was with a friend in his Toyota Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle when he was accosted by two men in riot police uniform.
According to eyewitnesses accounts, a woman, who sells wares close to the bridge, said the victim was killed in cold blood.
She said: “I have never seen such a thing in my life.
“I was here in the morning to tidy up where I sell because of the sanitation hours.
“The traffic was light.
“There was no policemen at the traffic point and the human traffic was also light.
“How the victim’s vehicle got on the bridge I don’t know but all I saw were two men in Mobile Police uniform arguing with the victim.
“The man did not come down from the vehicle but he was gesticulating with his hand, asking the policemen what the problem was.
“All of a sudden, a PSP truck blocked the policemen to enable the victim move his vehicle but the policemen turned to the other side and shot the victim right in the car.
“I was scared and I shouted when I heard the gunshot but to my surprise somebody was with the victim in the car.
“In anger, I cursed the policemen who did this evil because I felt the pain of a mother.”
Another eyewitness, who also requested anonymity, said: “There was confusion and people rushed out of the market when they heard the gunshot.
“The Mobile Policemen quickly rushed to where they parked their Lagos commercial bus, popularly called Danfo, and zoomed off before people could get to them.
“The men were able to escape because the traffic was light at the time and the market had not yet opened.
“The man bled profusely as people gathered around his vehicle.
“After some time, the Area Commander, Area D, Omololu Bishi, arrived with policemen and took the victim away with a sachet water van driver, whose vehicle was hit by the victim’s car.
“The victim is not a foreigner.
“We know him as Millionaire and he was a dealer in vehicle spare parts at the Ladipo Spare Parts Market.
“He was an easy going man.”
Another eyewitness who works with the National Union of road Transport Workers, said the policemen were in the habit of using commercial buses to carry out illegal arrests on the bridge.
But he said he did not understand why the victim was killed.
He said: “I know those policemen.
“They usually come here to arrest people at Daleko Junction.
“On Saturday, they arrested me and some others.
“So when they came again today, I recognised them.
“Last week, they came in a bus, which was driven by a tout popularly known as Sunday Sylvester.
“We chased the commercial bus but because the policemen were armed, we stayed at a distance so that we would not get shot.
“When the policemen encountered a bit of traffic, they jumped off from the bus and escaped on motorcycles.
“We were able to get the registration number of one of the bikes they used to escape.”
Meanwhile, a reliable police source said the mobile policemen have been arrested on the orders of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko.