Pandemonium broke yesterday at the Westminster end of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, as a naval personnel allegedly shot a depot manager of an oil and gas company in Lagos. The bullet from the gun of the naval personnel it was learnt, injured three persons, including the depot manager who was identified as Atom Zaga, a staffer of Yusmed Oil Marketing Company.
It was gathered that the navy personnel was alleged to have ordered the tanker drivers to maintain a queue on the express road to avoid causing traffic, but his rifle failed him in the heat of the commotion and the bullet hit the depot manager and two others. Witnesses told Daily Sun at the scene of the incident that while the naval personnel was trying to maintain law and order, he had already corked his rifle which went off in the process.A witness who spoke under anonymity said the three persons, including a security operative at the premises of the Capital Oil and Gas Limited, were injured by the bullet from the naval personnel’s gun.
The three persons Daily Sun learnt were quickly moved to a private hospital on KiriKiri Road for treatment, while angry tanker drivers in solidarity with their colleagues blocked the expressway to and from Apapa, creating a traffic logjam on both sides of the road.Efforts to reach the naval personnel who allegedly committed the offence failed but witnesses at the scene said the navy personnel ran into the Trinity Police Division, very close to the scene, for safety. When Daily Sun visited the scene, the Police Station was heavily guarded to prevent moves by some of the tanker drivers and marketers from storming the place.
Efforts to speak with the Divisional Police Officer who arrived the scene in mufti failed as he said he was not in any position to talk to the media on the tension in the area.The Western Naval Command Spokesman, Lieutenant Commander Jerry Omodara said the force regrets the incident, but promised that it would get to the root of matter. He said the command would not be ruling out accidental discharge, but added that that is not an excuse for the personnel to act the way it did.
Commander Omodara said that an investigation is already launched into the matter to ascertain what happened, appealing to the public to be calm and not take laws into their hands. Meanwhile it was gathered that the navy man was alleged to be worried by the traffic congestion caused by indiscriminate parking of tankers along the expressway and wanted the drivers to maintain order and create a passage for other motorists.
