RESIDENTS of Oremeji, in the Shasha area of Alimosho Local Government, Lagos State, were thrown into panic on Sunday, November 9, after street urchins stabbed a Nigerian Air Force officer.

Community sources told our correspondent during a visit to the area on Saturday that the incident began after a confrontation between the officer—who was “not in uniform” at the time—and some boys at a football pitch.

A resident identified simply 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.

“When he noticed a crowd gathering, he brought out a knife from his pocket. He stabbed the ball and threatened that if anyone touched him, he would stab them. In the process, some of the boys trying to hold him back 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.”

Another resident, who gave his name as Sola, added, “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.”

Residents have lamented that the incident has continued to cause panic, extending towards the Orisumbare area of the community.

A resident who identified herself simply as Eniola said business owners now close their shops early out of fear of reprisal.

She said, “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 the military personnel who were on a mission to avenge the attack on their colleague, fired tear gas during a reprisal the following day.

“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.”

But contrary to claims by some residents that the officer had died, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi, told PUNCH Metro during a telephone interview on Monday that the officer is alive.

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 the rumours that Air Force personnel had been harassing residents, 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.”

Similarly, attempts to reach the spokesperson for the Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, on his mobile phone were unsuccessful on Monday, and WhatsApp messages sent to him for clarification had not been responded to as of the time of filing this report.

This is not the first violent clash between civilians and military officers. 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.” (The PUNCH, excluding headlune)