A 20-year-old male student, Sharafadeen Ajao, has been shot dead by two masked gunmen who also injured two other persons at the Odugbemi and L&K Streets both in the Oworonshoki area of Lagos state.
The slain victim was said to have graduated from secondary school just last year and was making preparations to participate in the 2015 West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examinations scheduled to hold in May.
The rebels reportedly stormed the street on a motorcycle to at about 8.30pm on Monday, February 9, 2015 after which they proceeded to the next street where they injured the other two victims.
The victims were taken to a private hospital where they are currently being treated by medical personnel.
According to Punch, Sharafadeen, who was also learning fashion designing, was in his boss’ shop when the incident happened and later died in the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
It was his boss that called the attention of the police at the Oworonshoki Division.
A source resident at the Odugbemi Street, Mr. Akin Shehu, speculated that the assailants stormed the area on a reprisal attack and had mistaken Sharafadeen for one of their rivals.
He said, “I was also relaxing in front of my shop on that evening when the men rode by. When I heard the gunshots, I thought it was the sound of a firecracker. Within two minutes, they had left, and we rushed to the shop and met Sharafadeen in a pool of blood.
“He was a devout Muslim, and had just returned from the 8pm prayer when the assailants shot him. What happened was that the gunmen might have come for one Segun, who was an apprentice in the same shop.
“But when electioneering campaigns started, Segun left and joined political thugs. They had been moving round Bariga area to injure and kill one another. On that Monday morning, Segun was spotted on this street with some old friends. I think the gunmen came after him.”
The deceased victim’s older brother , Mr. Abdulrazak Ajao, expressed deep shock on his brother’s death since he was not known to have participated in any political and cult clash.
“When we rushed him to the hospital, the doctors said he stood no chance of survival because he had lost so much blood. He was the last child of the family. We lost our mother barely six months ago.
“He was learning fashion designing so that he would not be bored. His main focus was to sit for the WASSCE in May. His death is a shock to the whole family,” said Ajao.
Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said, “The family requested the boy’s corpse from the police, and they have buried him according to Islamic rites. Meanwhile, efforts are on to arrest the attackers. Investigations are ongoing on the matter.”
