One of the bullets reportedly fired by policemen attached to the Ijora Badia Police Division, Lagos State, has killed a 16-year-old pupil at Randle Secondary School, Apapa, Emmanuel Chukwu.

The Senior Secondary School 2 pupil was said to be in front of his parents’ residence on Fadaini Street, Ijora Badia, watching some protesters when he was hit by the bullet.

PUNCH Metro gathered that some youths of the area had stormed the station around 8am on Sunday to protest against the rescue of a suspected female kidnapper by policemen.

The operatives were said to have resorted to shooting to repel the rampaging youths during which the Ebonyi State indigene was killed.

Our correspondent gathered that some residents had apprehended a woman for allegedly kidnapping a five-year-old girl in the community and attempted to lynch her. The suspect was rescued by the policemen and taken to the station.

Angered by the police’s action, the youths mobilised to the station and demanded that the suspect should be released to them.

They reportedly threw stones into the station when the police did not yield to their demand.

A resident, who identified himself only as Bola, stated that there had been cases of abduction in the neighbourhood without the perpetrators being brought to book.

He said the youths resorted to jungle justice because they believed that the police would eventually release the suspect.

He said, “A woman was caught with a five-year-old girl around 7am on Sunday and she was beaten up. In the process, policemen from the Ijora Badia Division came to rescue her. People took the law into their own hands because they did not have confidence in the police that justice would be done. There had been cases of abduction in this community and nothing came out of them.

“Some youths went to the station, demanding that the woman should be released to them. As they were throwing stones into the premises, the policemen started shooting. The noise of the protesters drew the attention of people living around the station. A boy (Emmanuel), who also came out to watch the protest, was shot by the policemen. He died on the spot and they carried his corpse away. They did not allow his mother to see his corpse.”

A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Baale of Ebute, a neighbouring community, went to the station to plead that the mother be given access to the corpse. The traditional ruler was arrested and detained.

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