The Lagos State Police Command has detained an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Omotayo Olajide, following a shooting in the Nosamu area of Ajegunle that left a two-year-old girl, Omole Taiwo, dead and another girl injured.
The incident occurred between 9.30pm and 10pm on Thursday, November 5, in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State.
The injured girl is receiving medical treatment and is said to be in stable condition.
In a statement on Saturday, the police spokesperson, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said Olajide, who was attached to Ajeromi Police Station, was immediately disarmed and taken into custody after the incident.
She added that the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) had taken over the investigation.
According to Adebisi, preliminary findings showed that Olajide and other officers had responded to a distress call concerning a violent clash between two rival groups identified as the Nosamu Boys and the Alayabiagba Boys.
The groups were reportedly fighting over toll collection.
“The groups were said to have been armed with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons when the police team arrived,” Adebisi said.
She explained that Olajide discharged his firearm during the operation, with the bullet hitting both girls.
Initial reports had suggested that the officer might have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the shooting. However, the police statement did not confirm the allegation.
“Both victims were initially rushed to Ajeromi General Hospital, but the deceased was subsequently transferred to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, where she later died,” Adebisi said.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Tijani Fatai, said the officer’s detention and the transfer of the case to the SCID were aimed at ensuring a thorough and impartial investigation.
He said the investigation would establish the circumstances surrounding the shooting and determine the appropriate legal or disciplinary action.
Fatai also visited Taiwo’s family to offer his condolences and assured them that no officer found responsible would be protected from accountability.
The commissioner urged anyone with useful information about the incident to report to the nearest police station or contact the command’s Public Relations Department.
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