FUEL SCARCITY: MAN SHOT DEAD DURING FUEL QUEUE TUMULT IN LAGOS.

Babatunji Wusu –

Toheeb Eniasa, a young man, was reportedly slain by security officers in the Obalende region of Lagos State while attempting to acquire fuel as the fuel scarcity worsened.
The event occurred late Wednesday at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited filling station in Obalende, Ikoyi, Lagos State, after a security officer shot the deceased.

According to eyewitnesses, Eniasa was waiting in line at the petrol station when two guys, suspected to be military officers, attempted to get through the line to buy fuel.

Those in line, including Eniasa, strongly objected to this behavior, insisting that the guys wait their time and observe convention. Things quickly got out of hand, leading to a fight between the men and the unfortunate shooting death of Eniasa by one of them as he ran from the scene.

Punch Newspaper was informed by a witness, Mr. Amos Ayo, that the shooters were Department of State Services (DSS) employees.

Ayo reported: “They are men of the DSS. They came to the scene to buy fuel but refused to join the queue.

“It was not Toheeb’s turn yet but he confronted them, asking them to join the queue or be polite about the way they went about the purchase.”

The chaos at the petrol station didn’t end with the shooting as community members’ attempted to apprehend the fleeing men led to further violence.

“One hid under a bus so we set it on fire. He also ran away,” said another local who witnessed the incident.

While the identity of the gunman is still unknown, the police have transported Toheeb Eniasa’s body to the morgue for an inquiry and potentially an autopsy.

The incident’s specifics were verified by SP Benjamin Hundeyin, the state police public relations officer, who also stated that inquiries are still on to identify the gunman.

“I can confirm that somebody was shot dead… The identity of the shooter is still unknown but investigations are ongoing to unravel that,” Hundeyin stated.

Reacting to allegations of DSS involvement, DSS spokesman Peter Afunnaya categorically denied any connection to the incident.

“It is not true (that a DSS officer shot Toheeb). Kindly deepen your investigations to uncover the truth. No single DSS staff was involved in the matter,” Afunnaya urged.