The victim, Kolade Johnson, was watching a live football match in his Mangoro neighbourhood on Sunday evening when a patrol vehicle of police anti-cultism unit pulled over to arrest someone in the area. According to witnesses, the police suspected the man was a criminal because he was wearing dreadlocks. It was later learnt that the team carried out at least 12 indiscriminate arrest of young men with curly hair and dreadlocks on Sunday evening.
A riot broke out near the scene of the incident on Sunday evening, and the outrage quickly spread online where Mr Johnson’s killing has remained the major topic of social media engagement ever since.
A top police source told reporters that three officers have now been arrested on the directive of police inspector-general, Mohammed Adamu.
“Three police officers have been arrested now in Lagos for the trouble they have caused the man’s family and Nigeria as a whole,” the police official said under strict anonymity because the police were still measuring how to control the message.
“An orderly room trial will be conducted against the officers, and, if found guilty, they will be summarily discharged from the police and charged to court for murder,” the officer said.
The police chief said it was possible officers involved in the controversial raid might be more than three.
“We have learnt at the Force Headquarters that the officers might be more than three, and we have given the police commissioner in Lagos a strict instruction to make sure that all those involved are identified, and punished, no matter their ranks,” the officer added.
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