Policeman Stabs Trader To Death Over Bottle Of Beer

THERE was pandemonium yesterday at Iyana Ipaja in the outskirts of Lagos as a Mobile Police Inspector, attached to MOPOL 20 Squadron, Ikeja, Lagos, stabbed a trader to death for refusing to buy him a bottle of beer.The killer cop had a misunderstanding with the slain trader at a restaurant, after which he pulled out a jackknife and sent his victim to an early grave.The killing is one among several cases known to have been perpetrated by men of the squadron, who have gained notoriety for extra-judicial and accidental killings.Recently, a Sergeant, attached to the same squadron, shot to death a 52-year-old man at a hotel on Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.'The attitude of the squadron and its leadership has become a source of worry to the Police,' a source said.An eyewitness at yesterday's killing, Mr. Folorunsho Attah, urged the force's high command to shelve sentiments and overhaul the squadron, which he described as 'notorious and full of trigger-happy policemen'.The killing coincided with the visit of the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Mobile Police Force, Philemon Leha, who was in Lagos to lecture officers on the need to serve the public with dignity.He was, however, saddened by news of the killing, which caused a prolonged fracas and traffic snarl, especially on the busy Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.Attempt to speak with the Squadron Commander proved abortive. He said: 'I don't want to see journalists.'Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, Yakubu Alkali, has ordered investigation into the killing.
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