By Lukman Olabiyi
A paramilitary officer, Shina Edun, who was stabbed during the recent EndSARS memorial protests at the Lekki Tollgate, has narrated the incident, which he claimed nearly took his life.
Edun, who is currently recuperating, is a Man O’ War officer assigned to Lekki Concession Company (LCC) to provide security at the Lekki Tollgate.
He was stabbed on October 20, 2021, during the first anniversary of last year’s protests over police brutality. which later led to alleged shooting of protesters at the venue last year.
Narrating his ordeal, Edun, who resides at Ajakaye Street, Idiagbon Bus Stop, Ifako-Ijaiye area of Lagos, said that the only sin he committed against the person who attempted to kill him, was his commitment to protecting LCC’s gadgets at the scene.
Edun, who is still in pain from the injury he sustained, struggled to recount the sad development. He said that it was God that saved him and have kept him alive till date.
The victim said when the incident happened, he was already half-dead. But for the grace of God and the people who rushed him to the hospital, he would not have been alive to tell the story.
On what he remembered before he landed in hospital, he said: “Around 11.30am on Wednesday, October 20, when the police said all those who were protesting at Lekki Tollgate should leave, the person coming behind me stabbed me with a knife and before I could understand what was happening, I was rushed to the police hospital.
“The person that stabbed me was one of those protesting to mark the first anniversary of the EndSARS protest.
“I was stabbed in my abdomen in front of the Lekki Tollgate. I work with LCC and I was attached to them from the Lagos State Ministry of Environment.”
He sought the intervention of the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, in the payment of his medical expenses.
An elder brother to the victim, Chief Kehinde Yusuf, also appealed to the state government to come to the aid of the family, even as he recalled that his brother suffered serious pain as a result of the injury, having lost a lot of blood which made him become unconscious at a point.
The Chief Security Officer (CSO) of LCC, Mr Solomon Tolofari, who also explained how the incident happened, said the agency was compelled to source for external security in addition to its dedicated team that fateful day “because of the threat by the protesters.”
He appealed to the state government to support the company in taking care of the medical bills of the victim,
Said he: “On that day because of the threat by the protesters, we sourced for external security in addition to our dedicated team.
“We were there when the protesters came in coaster buses. Suddenly they disembarked and the Man O’ War team, including Shina Edun, was asked to stay close to protect the plaza, and before we knew what was going on, they had stabbed him in the abdomen and we rushed him to the hospital.”
The CSO further recalled that the management team had to drive “one-way” by facing oncoming traffic while rushing him to Falomo since the protesters had blocked the road. He appealed to the state government to assist the company in taking care of Edun, who he said had fallen victim in the course of discharging his duty.
Also speaking, Head, Commercial and Corporate Media of LCC, Mrs Veronica Jacob, expressed concern about the safety and security of the agency’s staff but quickly thanked thank God that Edun was still alive and recovering.
“You have seen our dedicated staff who was stabbed. We are very concerned about the safety and security of our staff.
“But we thank God he is alive and he is recovering. We pray we don’t encounter something of this nature again. He has received medical attention, but we will continue to follow up again,” she said.
The Lagos State Police Command had arrested some suspects allegedly caught with dangerous weapons at the Lekki Tollgate Plaza during the EndSARS memorial.
Some items allegedly recovered from the suspects include cutlasses and charms, among others, while the police said one of those arrested had confessed that he was at the scene to cause mayhem.