Two persons were today shot dead in a fierce arm battle between men of the Nigeria Police and members of Tricycle Owners and Operators’ Association of Nigeria (TOOAN) at Command, Meiran Road, Lagos.
The first incident which involved a tricycle rider happened at about 8:20am on Thursday.
The police officer who is a traffic warder at the Ile-Iwe Police Station had stopped the tricycle rider, identified as Wale, and demanded a bribe of N50, but he refused to give him.
The unidentified police officer traced the tricyclist from Ile-Iwe to Command bus-stop, and allegedly stabbed him in the chest, killing him instantly.
“He refused to bribe them. The policemen are constantly collecting money from motorcycle and tricycle riders in that area. However, this gentleman refused to pay them this time,” an eyewitness told our reporter.
Following the incident, the union members rushed to the scene in protest, but the police officers tear-gassed them and shot in the air, killing another person.
The victim was a vulcanizer apprentice of about 15-year-old, leaving the whole area in a very tense condition.
Residents and motorists were cautioned to avoid the main expressway.
