A furniture maker, identified as Quadri Salami, has been
killed during a street fight on Adejiyan Street in the Ijora area of Lagos
State. The Kwara State indigene was allegedly stabbed to death by a member of
the Oodua People’s Congress, identified only as Kabiru.
The 22-year-old man
was killed while attempting to make peace during the street fight. Kabiru
and three other suspects, who were at large, were said to have conspired and
killed the victim with a dagger.
Policemen from the Ijora Badia division reportedly evacuated
the corpse and deposited it at the Mainland General Hospital morgue for
autopsy.
It was learnt that Quadri, a muslim, was preparing to break
his Ramadan fast around 7pm on Wednesday, when he was killed.
A resident, who did not identify himself, said there had
been a fight between the suspect and another resident earlier in the day.
He said, “Kabiru actually asked a man to bring a chair for
him to sit on, but the man refused. He attacked the man and injured him in the
nose. The victim mobilised his gang for retaliation and they wreaked some
havoc.
“Kabiru vowed to fight back. The matter was taken to a
community leader, who asked the two parties to maintain the peace.”
The community leader, Abdul-Fatai Gbadamosi, told PUNCH
that despite his intervention, Kabiru insisted on getting even.
“I begged them in my room to stop the fight, but he said
somebody must die. I dismissed his threats, and told people he could do
nothing.
“On Wednesday evening, I started hearing a noise outside.
People were running helter-skelter, saying they had started fighting and
cutting people with machetes.
“Few minutes later, Quadri passed my apartment and said he
was going to break his fast. It was some minutes afterwards that I was told he
had been killed,” he said.
Gbadamosi said he informed the traditional ruler of the
community, who asked him to report the incident at the police station.
He said by the time the police arrived, the suspects had
fled, adding that the cops removed Quadri’s corpse on the road.
The victim’s brother, Sodiq Salami, alleged that he was
killed by Kabiru.
He said, “It was all arranged. When he stepped out to break
his fast, he saw two people fighting each other. He told them to stop the
fight. Suddenly, somebody came from the back and held him. Kabiru and the
others stabbed him with a dagger and brought out his intestines.”
His elder sister, Nike Lawal, appealed to the government to
apprehend the fleeing suspects.
She also asked that Quadri’s corpse be released to the
family for burial.
Lawal said the victim’s wife and child, who lived in Iseyin
area of Oyo State, had yet to hear about the death.
A friend of the victim, Yinusa Babatunde, described him as
respectful and peaceful, adding that he was only a victim of circumstances.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos,
confirmed the incident, saying the police had launched a manhunt for the
suspects.
She said, “At about 8pm on Adejiyan Street, Ijora, we learnt
that the deceased, Quadri, aged 22, was allegedly stabbed on his ribs by one
Saheed and Kabiru, during a fight.
“The victim was rushed to a private hospital for medical
treatment, where he died. The corpse has been deposited at the Lagos Mainland
General Hospital morgue for autopsy. Effort is on to arrest the suspects.”
Punch
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