Lagos gunmen attack commercial bus, kill passenger

Commuters on a bus on the Ikorodu Road, Lagos State, were shell-shocked after some gunmen in a Camry blocked their path and killed a passenger.

It was gathered that the four men, wielding guns, cutlasses and daggers quickly made their way into the vehicle immediately they waylaid it.

A 40-year-old passenger, identified as Olusola Bamidele, was said to have been dragged down from the bus and butchered.

The men reportedly left him in a pool of blood and drove off in their car.

PUNCH Metro learnt that other passengers took to their heels, while the driver and the conductor took the victim to the Ikorodu General Hospital where he was confirmed dead on arrival.

It was learnt that policemen from the Owode Onirin division later deposited the corpse in a mortuary.

When our correspondent visited Thomas bus stop end of the Ikorodu Road, where the incident happened, he was told that the police had taken custody of the bus.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victim was killed around 10pm on Friday.

He said, “There was confusion here that night. The driver was coming from Mile 12 and going inward Ikorodu. When he got to Thomas bus stop, the Camry, which had been trailing the bus, waylaid it. Four men came out of the car and entered the vehicle through the back door.

“They brought out their target and stabbed him in the neck and chest. When they were sure he was dead, they entered their car and drove away. There was a lot of blood on the road.”

A source said the driver and his conductor thought the victim could still make it, hence the decision to take him to the hospital.

“But he could not make it. They were told he was dead,” he added.

The driver was said to have taken the deceased to the Owode Onirin Police Station.

The family of the victim were later contacted and invited to the station.

A source said, “It was the same night that the corpse was taken to the mortuary. After the family members were contacted, they said they were not interested in pursuing a case. They said the police could carry on with investigations, but they wanted to bury their corpse in accordance with Islamic rites.

“The following morning when the wife of the man showed up, she was not aware he was dead.

“So, the police just told her that he had an accident and he was receiving treatment at a hospital. The family took her away to break the news to her.”

Another source said the police could have arrested the suspects that night if the matter was reported on time or the number plate of the vehicle noted.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the same ash-coloured Camry might be the one used in the killing of another resident a few weeks back.

The source said, “That same Camry carried out a similar operation three weeks back and a resident was killed.

“The man that was killed that time and this man, lived in Ikorodu. The manner of their death suggested it had something to do with cultism.

“It is also probable that there was someone in that bus giving information to the guys in the Camry on the movement of the bus and that was why they were able to double cross them at that point.”

The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident, adding that the police were making efforts to arrest the suspects.

She said, “From the report we have, the four men waylaid the vehicle and entered the bus. They stabbed the man to death.

“We visited, examined and photographed the scene before depositing the corpse at the Ikorodu General Hospital morgue. Investigations are ongoing and very soon, we will get the culprits.”

Lagos gunmen attack commercial bus, kill passenger