The Commissioner of Police, Olohundare Jimoh, on Friday personally led a joint team of operatives to restore order and reopen the ever-busy Lagos-Badagry Expressway at the Otto-Ijanikin axis following a violent communal clash that left one person dead and seven others arrested.

The expressway, which had been blocked for hours as rival youths from Ijanikin and Otto engaged in a confrontation, was reopened to traffic at about 9:00 a.m., bringing relief to commuters and residents.

The clash, which disrupted vehicular movement and commercial activities along the corridor, reportedly involved armed youths from both communities. Police authorities disclosed that one Akinyemi Omo Akin was suspected to have been shot during the fracas and later died in hospital.

In a swift response, Jimoh mobilised a combined team of conventional police officers and tactical squads to the troubled area, cleared the barricades mounted on the highway and restored free flow of traffic.

A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Abimbola Adebisi, said normalcy had been fully restored in the affected communities, with residents resuming their lawful businesses without fear.

The Commissioner of Police has, however, ordered a full-scale investigation into the incident, to be led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti.

Police authorities dismissed circulating claims that the deceased was hit by a stray bullet from police personnel, describing such reports as incorrect.

According to preliminary findings, distress calls received before officers arrived at the scene indicated that suspected cultists were brought in by both sides and were engaged in a gun duel.

“The victim must have been shot during the exchange of gunfire before police intervention,” the statement noted.

Seven suspects from both factions have been arrested and are currently in police custody. The command said the suspects had made voluntary statements detailing their alleged roles in the clash.

A locally made pistol and two live cartridges were recovered from one of the suspects.

Meanwhile, tactical squads and anti-riot policemen have been deployed across the affected communities and surrounding bushes in a sustained operation aimed at apprehending fleeing suspects and preventing any resurgence of violence.

Jimoh warned that the command would not tolerate any act capable of breaching the peace in any part of the state, vowing that the full weight of the law would be applied to those found culpable.

He urged parents and guardians to caution their wards against involvement in violent acts, while encouraging residents to go about their lawful activities without apprehension.

The police boss also appealed to members of the public to report suspicious movements or activities through the command’s emergency lines, assuring that adequate security measures remain in place to sustain peace and order in the state. (Saturday Vanguard)