A tragic incident unfolded on Wednesday at Volks bus stop along the Ojo/Iyana-Iba road in Lagos, where an alleged assault by soldiers on a police enforcement team led to the death of Inspector Saka Ganiyu, a member of the Task Force Unit stationed at Oshodi Base.
The confrontation began when the police team intercepted an unregistered T4 Volkswagen commercial bus driving against traffic, driven by a soldier in civilian clothing. An argument erupted between the soldier and the policemen. The driver, identifying himself as a soldier, called for backup from his colleagues at Ojo Cantonment Barracks, who then arrived at the scene and attacked the police officers with weapons.
A reinforcement team of policemen quickly intervened and managed to repel the soldiers. However, during the altercation, Inspector Ganiyu was reportedly stabbed by the soldier and sustained serious injuries. He was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) in Ikeja for treatment but unfortunately succumbed to his injuries.
At the time of this report, Ganiyu’s body had been taken to the morgue at LASUTH, and the soldier implicated in the stabbing has been detained at the 9 Brigade, Ikeja Cantonment.
SP Benjamin Hudenyin, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed that an investigation into the incident is currently underway. In response, Army authorities have expressed regret over the incident and assured the public that a comprehensive investigation will be conducted, with appropriate disciplinary actions to follow to ensure justice is served.