Air Force – Youth Clash Sparks Days of Fear in Shasha Community

A routine Sunday football game in the Shasha area of Alimosho, Lagos State, turned violent on November 9 when an off-duty Nigerian Air Force officer engaged in a confrontation with Local youths, triggering days of panic, reprisals, and conflicting accounts across the community.

The officer, whose identity the military has not yet disclosed, was reportedly walking through Oremeji Street when a football struck him during a game involving neighborhood boys. Residents said he reacted angrily, seizing the ball and assaulting the teenager who kicked it.

A community elder known as Baba told Global Mirror News that the situation escalated rapidly.
“People begged him to calm down, but he punched the boy. When others tried to separate them, he pulled out a knife, burst the ball, and threatened anyone who touched him,” he said.

As the crowd grew and tensions rose, several boys attempted to restrain the off-duty officer. In the struggle, one youth gained control of the knife and stabbed him. Still unaware that he was a Military Officer, bystanders rushed him to a nearby hospital.

Rumours of his death spread quickly, plunging Shasha and adjoining Areas, particularly Orisumbare into fear.

By the next day, several residents said they witnessed armed Air Force personnel from the nearby Shasha base storming the Area.
“They beat people up and arrested some residents at random,” Sola, a witness, alleged. “Everyone was running. We didn’t know what would happen next.”

Another resident, Eniola, said shop owners have since been closing early to avoid getting caught in reprisals.
“People who committed the act have fled. It’s innocent people who are now afraid,” she said.

Motorist Esther Komolafe described how tear gas was fired during an operation the following day.
“We saw people running and choking from the gas. As I speak, once it gets dark, we avoid that route entirely.”

But Police authorities insist the situation has been exaggerated.

Spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, SP Abimbola Adebisi, told Global Mirror News that the Officer survived the attack and had already received medical treatment.

“He is alive. Nobody died,” Adebisi said. “The claim that Air Force Officers have been disturbing people is not true. The DPO intervened when some of the Officer’s colleagues attempted to retaliate. The matter has been resolved.”

Adebisi added that a round-table meeting involving the Divisional Police Officer, community leaders, and the Air Force commandant helped lower tensions.

Efforts to reach the Nigerian Air Force spokesman, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered.

This incident adds to a string of clashes between civilians and military personnel recorded in Lagos in recent years, including the 2021 unrest in Oshodi following the death of an Air Force officer.

For now, Shasha remains calm but on edge, with residents hoping the fragile peace holds.