By PRECIOUS IGBONWELUNDU

Hooded gunmen on Wednesday evening killed a son of former Ondo Military Administrator, Brig.-Gen. Okpaleye in Lagos.

The deceased, Muyuwa Okpaleye, 40, was shot by the armed men numbering about four at a drinking joint at Adekunle Kuye, off Ikate street, Aguda in Surulere where he was hanging out with his friends.

It was gathered the gunmen, who parked their Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) at an adjoining street, followed a footpath that led to the joint where people gathered to drink herbal mixtures touted as cure for COVID-19.

According to sources, as soon as they spotted Okpaleye in the crowd, two of the men readjusted their hoods and advanced towards the gathering.

On seeing the movement of the hooded men, the crowd, including a relation of a former Lagos Governor, it was gathered, dispersed with people running in different directions.

They were said to have aimed at Okpaleye, shot him and came closer to ensure he was hit by the bullet before fleeing the scene.

All of Okpaleye’s friends allegedly abandoned him save for one identified as Kunle, who ran back to save him.

He was said to have lifted him up, taken him to his (Okpaleye’s) Honda City Sedan car and rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors confirmed him dead on arrival.

Unfortunately for Kunle, the Police at Soloki Station, Aguda invited him for interrogation. He was eventually detained and moved him to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department (SCIID) Panti as a suspect.

Okpaleye worked with a sporting outfit called City Sports and lived at Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island but frequented Surulere where he had a lot of friends who took to social media to mourn his death.

Already, homicide detectives at SCIID have commenced investigation to unearth the culprits just as Okpaleye’s friends who were at the joint were being trailed to get their accounts of the incident.

A source said Kunle was being held because no one has corroborated his account of the incident, adding there was need for others present at the joint to come forward and state the facts.

It was learnt others who were there might have gone into hiding for fear that the assassination might be cult-related, giving the recurring gang wars within Surulere that has seen two other persons killed in similar manner since last December.

Police spokesman Bala Elkana could not be reached for comments at the time of this report as several calls to his telephone were not answered. (The Nation)

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