In the wee hours of Sunday morning, a security guard opened fire on a commercial motorcyclist, killing him on the spot in the Alagbaka area of Akure, the Ondo State capital. The victim, Ibrahim Adamu, was just 36 years old. The guard in question was stationed at the entrance of a street that leads to a popular hotel in the Government Reserved Area.
According to an eyewitness who was friends with the deceased, the security personnel had stopped Adamu to ask where he was coming from. The deceased reportedly replied that he had been visiting a friend. Other security personnel from different residences then emerged to identify him, and suddenly, one of them fired into the air, causing people to flee. The deceased and the eyewitness remained behind, and the guard reportedly shot Adamu in the chest, killing him instantly.
Mrs. Safira Saliu, another witness, recounted that Adamu had visited her house to eat after finishing work around 11 p.m. He subsequently left to sleep at a friend’s place because her family only had one room. Saliu’s husband later returned around 1:30 a.m. to inform her that Adamu had been shot dead. The culprits fled after the incident, but the deceased’s kinsmen destroyed the chairman’s house because the culprit had gone to his house to inform him of the murder before running away.
Confirming the incident, the Ondo State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, stated that a security guard was shot dead by an unidentified individual at Alagbaka in Akure, Ondo State. Investigations into the guard’s death are ongoing, and the police have yet to determine the motive behind the shooting. The deceased’s body has been deposited at the State Specialist Hospital Mortuary.
This unfortunate incident has caused shock and grief in the area, with worshippers and sympathizers besieging the scene to see what happened. The shooting of commercial motorcyclists, also known as Okada riders, is a recurring issue in Nigeria, with many drivers expressing fear for their lives while on the job. The Ondo State government has previously banned the use of Okada for commercial transportation due to concerns about crime, but many residents continue to rely on them as a means of getting around.