Soldier Kills Casual Worker In Orile-Imo, Near Abeokuta During Demolition Exercise

By Miracle Okoro, Abeokuta

There was a pandemonium in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital over the killing of a casual worker, identified as Oluwaseyi Adeoye, by a yet-to-be-identified soldier in Orile-Imo axis in the Obafemi-Owode local government area of the state.

The victim who was engaged by the Ogun state government during a demolition exercise was shot dead by the trigger-happy soldier during the tragic incident which occurred during the exercise along the Sagamu-Abeokuta Expressway.

The team is from the state ministry of physical planning and urban development was enforcing building regulations at a company to pull down structures said to contravene approved building specifications, particularly the height of the company’s perimeter fence.

Eyewitness simply identified as Emmanuel said that the soldier in an attempt to stop the government officials opened fire on them and in the process the casual worker was hit and died on the spot.

“The armed military personnel stationed at the facility in a bid to stop the officers from carrying out their lawful duty threatened to kill anyone who attempted to pull down any structure, and when the argument became uncontrollable, some of us had to run for our lives including the police officers attached to us could not control the situation”.

“The officer was hit by a stray bullet and died on the spot and his body was later moved to the state general hospital in Ijaye, Abeokuta, where it was deposited in the morgue”, he narrated.

Spokesman of the state police command, Oluseyi Babaseyi, who confirmed the incident, said an investigation is ongoing over the tragic incident.

However, the acting assistant director, army public relations, 35 artillery brigade, Alamala, Abeokuta, captain Idereghi Akari, said he was yet to be briefed on the development but promised to investigate.

Meanwhile, the state government has vowed to fish out the soldier involved in the shooting incident in order to ensure justice.

State’s physical planning and urban development commissioner, tunji Odunlami, who made this known to newsmen, described the incident as unfortunate.

Odunlami explained that the state government condemned the killing and the security agencies had been contacted to identify the personnel involved.