The Nigerian police have arrested a suspected cult member identified as Ahmed Suleiman for allegedly killing a man, reportedly, a member of a rival gang by throwing him into the Lagos Lagoon.
The arrested suspect, Suleiman, 27, was reported to have connived with two others who are now at large to drown the unnamed victim into the Lagos lagoon located on Carter Bridge, Ebute Ero, Lagos State.
According to Punch, the arrested suspects were reported to have trailed their target from Ilorin, Kwara State, to Lagos and accosted the victim at around 11:30 am on Monday, June 5, 2017.
The victim, before he was thrown into the lagoon was reportedly tied up with his hands to the back.
Reports further indicated that some passengers aboard the popular Danfo commercial bus in Lagos witnessed the incident as the victim was being hauled off towards the edge of the bridge.
The eyewitnesses reportedly raised an alarm but the suspects threw their victim into the lagoon and fled the scene.
A transport worker was reported to have chased the men and tracked Suleiman leading to his arrest.
Police report indicate that the body of the victim is yet to be recovered as of 12:00 pm on Wednesday.
Speaking in regards of the incident, a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the area,
“We saw all of them walking together towards the spot. The victim was in the middle, but we never knew they were going to kill him. Immediately some passengers shouted, they threw him into the lagoon and took to their heels,” Mr. Nurudeen Olalekan told Punch.
“One of our members went after them. One of them crossed to the other side of the road and escaped. He pushed the two others to the ground, but before we got to the scene, one had escaped,” Olalekan said.
“He told us he avenged his son’s death. He later said that the three of them were cult members and based in Ilorin with the victim. He said the victim was a member of a rival gang and that they all left Ilorin because of cult clashes.”
Another eyewitness identified as Adekunle Onike said: “We learnt he had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, from the station.”
Addressing the reports, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole added that, “the suspect, Ahmed Suleiman, has no fixed address. He and two others allegedly tied a man and threw him into the lagoon. Scene of the crime was visited by detectives. Suleiman has been arrested while effort is being made to arrest other fleeing suspects and recover the body.”
