Photo: 21-Year Old Stabs Landlord To Death In Street Brawl

Some hoodlums started a street fight on Olorogun Street, Odo
Eran, in the Itire area of Lagos State on Tuesday, during which a 21-year-old
stabbed a landlord, identified as Alawu Lateef, to death.

Punch Metro learnt that Lateef, who was a father of three,
had intervened in the fight, and asked the hoodlums to leave the area, when one
of them, identified as Lati Elepo, stabbed the landlord.

It was gathered that the father of three slumped, while residents
arrested Elepo before he could escape with the other hoodlums. The matter was
said to have been reported at the Itire Police Division.

A Punch correspondent learnt that the hoodlums, numbering
six boys, had come from Osindero Street to meet one Balogun, who they claimed
owed them about N30,000. It was learnt that when the hoodlums did not meet
Balogun at home, they started to make trouble on the street.

The landlord, Lateef, who worked as a panel beater, was said
to have asked Elepo to leave the area with his gang members. The hoodlum,
however, stabbed him in the chest.

Friends and family members rushed the landlord to a private
hospital in the area, from where he was referred to the Lagos University
Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, where he was confirmed dead. His corpse was
afterwards brought to the Itire division.

When Punch Metro visited the area, one of his neighbours,
who identified himself simply as Rashidi, said Lateef did not have any business
with the miscreants, but only tried to pacify them when Elepo stabbed him on
the chest.

Rashidi added that Elepo and two other suspects were
arrested by the police.

He said, “It was at about 11am when these boys from Osindero
stormed our street. They are teenagers. They are not cultists. They said Balogun
owed them N30,000 which they must collect from him.

“Lateef did not want such commotion on the street. So, he
came out to caution them to take things calmly. The one who stabbed him was
drunk.

“While Lateef spoke with them, the suspect went to a shop of
an artisan who sharpens knives and other metals, grabbed about three knives and
stabbed Lateef on the chest. Resident arrested him and dragged him to the
police station while other hoodlums ran away.”

The landlord’s wife was said to be too distraught to talk
with PUNCH Metro as of the time of visit.

Policemen visited the street in the evening and raided other
suspected hoodlums lurking in the area.