The family of a 15-year-old boy, Pelumi Sulaimon, have been thrown into mourning after soldiers from operation MESA allegedly shot him dead near makoko in the Yaba area of Lagos State.
According to locals in the area, the soldiers were hired by political thugs to exact vengeance on their opponents in the community on Sunday, February 26.
It was gathered that when the soldiers arrived in the community, they started shooting indiscriminately, and in the process, a bullet struck Pelumi, who was on his way to buy drinks for his friends to celebrate his birthday.
The soldiers, led by a political thug identified simply as Nuru, were also accused of gunning down a tricycle operator, identified simply as Aloma, whom they mistook for one of their targets.
Pelumi’s elder brother, Afeez, said he was with his friends when a resident told him that his brother had been shot by the soldiers.
According to Afeez, He said, “ I was with my friends when the soldiers arrived in the area in a van which had the inscription of OP MESA on it with a covered number plate. That was around 3pm. They came in through the Sabo area with four soldiers hanging at the back of the van.
“Shortly after, someone came to tell me that our last born had been shot. I rushed down to the place and saw my immediate younger sister at the spot trying to lift him (Pelumi) up from the ground. That was when some residents joined to carry him to a hospital at Oko Agbon.
“When we got there, they referred us to another hospital on Harvey Road. That was where he passed away. The hospital asked us to get a police report before releasing the corpse. So, it was policemen from Adekunle that look the corpse from the hospital and deposited it in the mortuary.
Afeez said Pelumi just turned 15 years old on the day he was shot, adding that he stepped out to buy drinks to celebrate with his friends when the incident occurred.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.
“The case is at the state criminal investigation Department. No suspect has been arrested yet and investigation is still ongoing”.
