Security guard kills man with stick over phone theft
Uthman Salami and Moyinoluwa Olajide
A 26-year-old man, Muhammed Abubakar, employed by a businessman (name withheld) to guard a building in the Ajaka area of Sagamu has allegedly killed an unidentified man over allegations that he attempted to steal Abubakar’s phone.
On Tuesday, our correspondents exclusively learnt from a police source close to the incident and a resident that the victim died in a Sagamu hospital around 9 pm on Monday.
PUNCH Metro was informed by a source resident in the area that the fatal injury occurred when the suspect struck the crown of the victim’s head with a large plank.
A source who spoke to PUNCH Metro under the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter said a terrifying noise was heard from Abubakar’s post which prompted residents to report the incident to the Sagamu Police Division after suspecting foul play.
According to the source, the division promptly responded to the distress call and dispatched Inspector Ojo Alasofe to accompany the residents to the scene for an investigation.
“We suspected something was wrong when we heard the noise. One resident was sent to the division to report the matter. The residents returned with a police officer. But when they got to the scene, they saw the deceased in the pool of his blood, gasping for breath.
“The security guard was standing right beside him. When he was asked what happened, he said he was using his phone when the deceased suddenly appeared and snatched his phone from him. He said he gave him a hot chase and was nabbed with the help of another security guard, who grabbed the deceased from behind,” the source said.
Our correspondents learnt that as the security guard was dragging the now-deceased suspect to his post, a scuffle broke out between them which reportedly angered Abubakar, who then picked up a large stick and struck the deceased man on the head.
As a result, blood began gushing from the deceased’s head after he screamed, drawing the attention of passersby who then called the police for help.
When contacted on Tuesday, the spokesperson for the command, Omolola Odutola, said Abubakar had disappeared, having suspected that the victim had died in the hospital where they rushed him for treatment following the incident.
Odutola said, “The victim was taken to a hospital called Live Well Hospital in Ajaka, Sagamu, for treatment but was unfortunately declared dead by a doctor on duty at about 9 p.m. on Monday. His corpse has been deposited at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital in Sagamu for presentation and identification.
“Meanwhile, Abubakar has absconded. Our men are working round the clock to have him apprehended.”
PUNCH Metro reported a nearly similar incident in September 2023 when the police apprehended two security men over an allegation of shooting a man in the eye as a result of a misunderstanding in the Sango-Ota area of the state.
According to the report, the deceased had an altercation with the guards, who were supposed to be securing his street gate, because they were not at their post, forcing him to open the gate himself.
This was said to have led one of the security guards to shoot the deceased in the eye, leading to his death on the spot.
