A Lagos police officer has been detained following a shooting that killed Omole Taiwo and injured another girl during a police operation in Ajegunle.
The Assistant Superintendent of Police, Omotayo Olajide, was disarmed after his firearm struck the two girls during an operation in the Nosamu area on Thursday night, the Lagos State Police Command said on Saturday.
The shooting happened between 9.30pm and 10pm as officers responded to a violent confrontation between two rival groups, the Nosamu Boys and Alayabiagba Boys, reportedly over toll collection.
Police spokesperson SP Abimbola Adebisi said both girls were initially taken to Ajeromi General Hospital. Taiwo was later transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital in Ikeja, where she died. The surviving girl remains under medical care and is in stable condition.
The command has transferred the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department to establish the circumstances of the shooting and determine whether disciplinary or legal action is warranted.
Commissioner of Police Tijani Fatai has visited Taiwo’s family and promised a thorough investigation, assuring them that any officer found culpable would not be shielded.
The case recalls a fatal shooting in Ajegunle in April 2019, when 20-year-old Ada Ifeanyi died and Emmanuel Akomafuwa was injured in an alleged police shooting.
Inspector Dania Ojo was declared wanted after that incident, while five other officers were arrested. The PUNCH reported that Ojo was later dismissed after an investigation found him guilty of abusing his authority and unlawfully using his firearm.
The police have yet to establish publicly whether Olajide’s weapon was discharged deliberately or accidentally. That question remains central to the ongoing investigation.
