Residents of Abule Ijesha community, Yaba, Lagos State, say the neighbourhood is not safe until the police arrest hoodlums who killed a senior member of staff of the University of Lagos, Akoka, and a final year student of the institution.

They claimed that the mastermind of the crime was a drug dealer known to the police and demanded that he and his accomplices be apprehended and prosecuted.

The victims, Akintunde Fadugba, of Centre for Information and Technology System, UNILAG, and the 400-level student, Rasaq Akokia, were shot dead on Opayemi Street, Abule Ijesha

 CEOAfrica learnt that the hoodlums, numbering six and reportedly led by the drug dealer had stormed the community around 11pm on Friday on motorcycles and shot indiscriminately.

Fadugba, who was said to be relaxing in front of a barber’s shop, a stone throw from his residence was shot and died on the spot.

It was learnt that Akokia was ill and had gone to buy drugs from a chemist on the street.

He was returning home when a bullet hit him in the chest.

Our correspondent, who visited the community on Tuesday, observed that residents were still in panic as many of them declined to speak on the incident.

However, an eyewitness, Sunday Ebah, said he was at a restaurant on Opayemi Street when the hoodlums struck.

He said, “I was with a food vendor around 11pm when I saw three motorcycles. While they were approaching a church, they put off the light of the motorcycle. Two persons were reportedly on each motorcycle.

“Two men came down and one of them, a tall guy, started shooting. The drug dealer was directing him.

“When I saw them, I ran to Martins Street. Two men faced Martins Street, while two others headed towards Odenike Street, shooting.

“The UNILAG worker was outside a barber’s when he was shot. They saw the light of a pickup truck arriving in the community and fled. They thought it was a police van.

“As they were leaving through Fatai Kadri Street, Rasaq (Akokia), who had been hiding, thought they had gone. As he came out from hiding, they shot him and he fell into the gutter. He was a final year student at UNILAG.”

The food vendor, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Ebah’s account, adding that she abandoned her food and scampered to safety.

A bread seller, who did not want her name in print said, she was attending to a customer when the attack broke out.

When our correspondent visited Fadugba’s residence, it was learnt that his family members did not live with him, while residents of a bungalow, where Akokia lived, had gone to work.

A community leader, Mr. Omolaja Johnson, said the drug dealer had been unleashing terrors on the community since 2016 when he was sent out of the community.

He said the mastermind had used some policemen to harass residents, adding that a petition was sent to the Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, against the policemen and the hoodlums.

He said, “The community sent him away because he sold all sorts of hard drugs. When we met with the AIG, Zone 2, the policemen he used were dealt with. Everything went well until on March 9 around 11pm when the community was attacked and two persons were killed.

The Chief Security Officer of the community, Mr. Paul Ebite, said, “We want the police to immediately apprehend the hoodlums; without that, the attack will continue. The community is still in fear. We appeal to the AIG Zone 2 and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police to ensure that these hoodlums are apprehended.”

The spokesperson for the police in Lagos, SP Chike Oti, said the command had launched a manhunt for the hoodlums.

The spokesperson for UNILAG, Mrs. Taiwo Oloyede, confirmed Fadugba’s death, but said she was not aware a student was also killed.

She said, “Mr. Fadugba was shot on Friday and we lost him. He was a senior non-teaching staff member of the Centre for Information and Technology System. He will be buried this week. I am not sure we lost any student, but I will confirm and get back to you.”

She had yet to get back to our correspondent as of press time.