Nigerian Air Force Officer Attacked by Street Boys During Football Dispute
- Panic gripped residents of Oremeji in Shasha, Lagos State, after a Nigerian Air Force officer was stabbed during a clash with local youths
- Witnesses said the confrontation at a football pitch quickly escalated, sparking fear and reprisal actions in the community
- Police later confirmed the officer survived, but tension and anxiety continued to spread among residents and business owners
Residents of Oremeji, in the Shasha area of Alimosho Local Government, Lagos State, were thrown into panic on Sunday, November 9, after a Nigerian Air Force officer was stabbed during a confrontation with street boys.
Community sources told our correspondent during a visit on Saturday that the incident began at a football pitch when the officer, who was not in uniform, clashed with some boys.
Source: Original
A resident identified as Baba recounted, “Some boys were playing football on Oremeji Street here in Shasha when the ball hit the man, who was not in uniform. Nobody knew he was an officer. He tried to seize the ball and beat the boy who kicked it. People begged him, but he punched the boy, and others around tried to restrain him from causing more harm.”
Baba added that the officer pulled out a knife, stabbed the ball, and threatened to stab anyone who touched him. In the process, some boys sustained injuries. “A fight broke out, and one of the boys managed to collect the knife and stabbed him. Nobody still knew he was an officer. They rushed him to the hospital, but we later heard he didn’t survive the injury,” he said.
Air Force officers storm Shasha after stabbing
Another resident, Sola, said Air Force officers stormed the community in retaliation. “Air Force officers stormed the area. They beat up some people while searching for the boy and his family. They were from the Shasha base. Everyone in the community is now living in fear. From that moment, the whole area has been in panic, and the police are not doing anything,” he said.
Residents reported that the tension spread towards Orisumbare, with business owners closing shops early. Eniola, a shop owner, explained, “We have been living in fear since the incident happened, and shop owners now close much earlier than expected. And this was after the air force officers came on the second and third day to assault and pick people up randomly. The people who committed the act had fled the community, and the innocent people are the ones getting punished for it.”
Another resident, Esther Komolafe, said military personnel fired tear gas during a reprisal. “We were driving along the route when we saw people running helter-skelter. We got closer to the exact spot before we realised that the air force officers had fired teargas. As I speak to you, the area is still tense, and we no longer take the route once it is evening,” she said.
Police confirm officer alive despite rumours
Contrary to claims that the officer had died, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi, told PUNCH Metro on Monday that the officer survived.
Adebisi explained, “There was a fight between some individuals, and after the fight, they realised that the injured person happened to be an Air Force officer. He was only injured; nobody died. Although the matter was not reported at the station, the DPO visited the scene but did not meet anyone there. He later identified the injured officer and confirmed he had received treatment and that he is alive.”
Addressing rumours of harassment, Adebisi said, “The claim that Air Force officers have been disturbing people is not true. There is nothing like that. Last Wednesday, when some of the officer’s colleagues attempted to retaliate, the DPO intervened along with community leaders, and the issue was resolved. The commandant of the Air Force was also engaged in a round-table discussion, and the area has been peaceful since then.”
Attempts to reach the spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, were unsuccessful as calls and WhatsApp messages were not responded to at the time of filing this report.
This was not the first violent clash between civilians and military personnel in Lagos. In 2021, Premium Times reported that residents and commuters in Oshodi witnessed serious unrest after military personnel stormed the area “to avenge the death of an officer of the Nigerian Air Force, who was allegedly mobbed to death by hoodlums.”
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