TVC E. A 20-year-old undergraduate of a polytechnic in Edo State Eldanojie Joseph, has been shot dead by policemen who were chasing an Internet fraudster, popularly known as Yahoo-Boy.
The sad incident happened at the Ogoja Market located on the LASU-Igando Road, Lagos State, when operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), were trying to apprehend the fraudster and in the process, fired shots at the fleeing suspect and the stray bullet hit the victim who was on a visit to his cousin, Friday Ojah, who lives on Alape Street, Iba Ojo.
The murdered youth who was said to be a Business Administration student had allegedly gone out with his cousin to buy a canned drink just at the time the SARS operatives were chasing a suspected Internet fraudster identified as Badoo, who had parked his car and fled upon sighting the officers.
The officers were said to have started shooting sporadically and the unfortunate boy was hit who died on the spot. Eyewitnesses say the police, on realizing what they had done, they got down from their vehicle, took the corpse of the Esan, Edo State-born Joseph, dumped it in the boot of the suspected fraudster’s car and drove off.
The cousin of the deceased narrated that by the time he got to the police station to find out why the boy was killed in cold blood, the police said he was a cult member and was killed in a shootout with the police.
“We grew up and attended the same primary and secondary schools together. He gained admission into a polytechnic in Edo State, while I am still processing my admission into the same school.
Around 9.30am on Monday, we strolled out to buy a can of soft drink. We were returning home when we learned that some policemen were chasing somebody.
We decided to go through the back of the market. As we turned back, my brother was hit by a bullet in the head and he fell down immediately.”
“As I tried to call for help, I saw that the policeman that shot him had aimed his gun at me. I fled the place immediately. When we got to the station, they said Joseph was a cultist and was killed in a shootout with the police.
But it was all lies. He only had the can drink we bought, a phone charger and a handset on him when the incident happened. The police lied to cover up their misdeed,” Ojah added.
The policemen on the team that killed the victim were identified as Lucky and Oganla.
