Pastor Hakeem Rasaki of New Generation Assembly Ministry was among those who died while attempting to escape police arrest at Ajewole Street, Ajegunle, Kosefe Local Council Development Area of Lagos State after policemen from Owode Police Station allegedly raided an Indian hemp joint.
The late pastor was said to be among residents fleeing after the police stormed the community and started shooting sporadically.
Many residents fled in the process.
The pastor, with others, took off and died in the lagoon.
On Saturday, a police source said that at least five persons died in the lagoon attempting to escape being arrested by the police.
The five persons died after policemen from the Owode Police Division, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, stormed different black spots on Friday.
It was gathered that the police carried out the raids after receiving a tip-off about some Indian hemp joints in the area.
A police source: “The raid was carried out after the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Umar Manko, received a petition from members of the community that robbers were disturbing them in the area.
“The community members had also fingered many of the Indian hemp smoking and selling joints in the area.
“Five of the suspects died after jumping into the lagoon when they saw the police and started running.
“Nobody killed them.”
Eyewitnesses’ accounts revealed that immediately the police got to the area, some of the hoodlums, in an attempt to escape police arrest, jumped into a nearby lagoon and drowned.
Pastor Mathew Balogun, a relation of the late Pastor Rasaki, said: “I was in church at Ishawo in Ikorodu when I received a call that my brother had drowned in Ogun River.
“Immediately I got the phone call, I contacted other members of the family.
“We all mobilized and met at our late brother’s house.
“We didn’t know what led to his death.
“It was when we got to this place this morning that we were told how he died.
“Our late brother was never an Indian hemp seller or smoker.
“He was a commercial bus driver, who used to ply the Ikorodu-Ketu routes.
“Even before he gave his life to Christ, I have warned him to move out of the house where he lived.
“He promised to pack out of the house, but said he wanted to change the lives of some tenants in the house who do not known Christ.”
According to Balogun, the late pastor had never for once sold Indian hemp or engaged in any illicit business.
“He was running for his dear life when he fell into the lagoon,” said Balogun.
Pastor Rasaki’s corpse was brought out on Sunday from the river and taken away by some traditionalist for burial at the bank of the river.
Some residents of Unity Street, Dada Street and Ojomo Street faulted how police invaded their community and arrested those they claimed were innocent people.
One Taiwo Fadairo, a pregnant woman, said her husband was arrested right inside their house.
Fadairo said: “I and my husband, Abdualahi Fadairo, were inside our room when suddenly about 10 hefty policemen came and booted down our door and dragged my husband out.
“He was wearing ordinary pant, which he used to stay at home.”
Bimpe Amosu was also arrested in front of her shop for an offence she knew nothing about.
Amosu’s daughter, Tayo Amosu, implored the police to release her mother “because where the incidents happened was not on our street.
“How can policemen come to our own street and arrest innocent people?
“Jeremiah was arrested with our mother.
“He is an engineer working with China Civil Construction Company.
“He was sleeping when the police broke down his door and arrested him.”
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