How I survived Police attack, by shot Otodo-Gbame resident

Lagos—SCORES of residents of Otodo-Gbame, yesterday, groaned saying they were left stranded after they were flushed out of the community and their properties burnt by men in police uniform.

How I survive police bullet – Shot resident

Speaking, one of the residents who was shot in the chest during, Monday Idowu, said he was helping his mother to pack some of her loads when the bullet hit him. The 16-year-old boy who could hardly speak said; “I was just helping my mother to pack things in the house, suddenly, I felt a shot on my chest. “I started bleeding and still running.

I kept running until some people came to my aid. They carried me into a boat and I was taken to the hospital. I was discharged on Monday afternoon. “Currently, I don’t know where my mother and siblings are. We are six siblings, two boys and four girls. I don’t know what next to do. “I am an apprentice.

I just enrolled as a barber this year. I couldn’t finish my education due to financial constraint. I was born into the community, today, I have been rendered homeless. Some of them, who spoke to Vanguard said Sunday’s attack caught them unaware.

According to a resident, Mr. Tosinhun Paska, ‘’There was no prior notice before the police came into the community and set the entire place on fire.’’ Another resident, Mrs. Hungha Nofi also said; My family is left with nothing.

I was unable to take anything from the community. Some of us who escaped were unable to take even clothes out of the place. ‘’We only escaped with the clothes we were wearing when the police invaded the community.

They chased all of us out and did not give us chance to take a pin.” Also, another displaced resident sinply called John told Vanguard that; “I escaped with some few clothes. “All our belongings are now several feet under or in the sea.

We’ve been treated worse than dogs. “Our mothers, fathers and children scampered for safety as fast as their legs could carry them. Most ended up in the Atlantic and got drowned. ‘’As I speak with you, we can’t find some members of our families.

The state government sent the Police to kill us.” Another resident, Mr. Tosinhun Paska, told Vanguard that, there was no notice before the community was set on fire. The 53-year-old Egun, who could only speak in Yoruba and Egun but was assisted by an interpreter explained that, over 30,000 people used to live in the community.

He said, “Our fore-fathers settled there and we inherited the place. We were born in the community and have been living peaceful until 2014 when some people who claimed to be belong to the Elegunshi family invaded the community.

“Today, Otodo-Gbame has been reduced to rubble. They have set our community ablaze”, he lamented. When Vanguard visited Otodo-Gbame yesterday, there was hardly anyone living in the community everybody had been displaced.

According to Paska, the policemen came with kerosene and poured it on all the houses and started shooting sporadically. I heard the police commander, who gave the order that all the community must be brought down.

That no house should be spared. After that, they started pursuing all of us to the lagoon. They entered into the boat and followed us into the lagoon”, he said. “We watched in pains how our homes were brought down and people ran in different directions for their lives,”another resident interjected.

“Otodo-Gbame community stands as a paradox. It is a slum of shanties, peasants, mat-weaving fishermen and divers who are just a few meters away from the wealth, interlocked roads and high-rise buildings of Lekki Phase 1 and the rest of highbrow Lagos Island”, he said.

Vanguard reports