Tosin Agbeyangi, 45, claims he didn't expect to find police officers in the Mafoluku area of Oshodi when he and others went hunting for rival gang members. He told journalists that a man named Temidayo fired the weapon while he took bullets meant for police during the gunfight.
The caterer sustained a leg wound during the exchange of fire on Mabolaje Street around 10:45 p.m. Agbeyangi was arrested after the failed revenge attack linked to the killing of one of his associates, Samuel, four days prior.
"We were coming from a birthday party around Araromi in Oshodi when we decided to go and check our rival gang members from Araromi Orile, who usually stayed in front of Koko Zaria's house," he explained to reporters.
He said the group comprised about five or six people, with most travelling from Mushin while only three came from Oshodi. The gang wanted to confront the rivals over Samuel's death, he added.
"We did not know there were policemen in the area at that time. It was Temidayo who fired the gun, while I was hit by bullets fired by the policemen," Agbeyangi recounted.
He denied they intended violence on anyone. "We only wanted to shoot into the air," he told journalists, noting that Temidayo held the weapon and came from Mushin.
Agbeyangi rejected claims that anyone sent the group to attack the residence of the transport union figure known as Koko Zaria. Instead, he painted a picture of Oshodi divided sharply between two opposing camps linked to powerful transport sector figures.
According to his account, one faction identifies with the "Oluomo Nation" while the other aligns with the "Koko Zaria Nation." He described how these groups operate across different neighbourhoods in the area.
"In Oshodi now, there are two factions. Those from Orile Oshodi around Mabolaje belong to Koko Zaria Nation, while boys from Mafoluku, Ewu and Eniyanlonbinu belong to Oluomo Nation.
They have been fighting each other," he said.
He insisted his group held no formal ties to the National Union of Road Transport Workers, despite supporting one faction. "It is not that these people are giving us any money; we just support them," he told reporters.
Police investigators painted a different picture, suggesting the incident was calculated rather than spontaneous. A source told reporters that Agbeyangi led approximately six suspected cult members to the location.
According to the officer, Koko Zaria was at his residence with visitors when the suspects arrived in the neighbourhood. Unknown to them, police on routine patrol had also stopped nearby after spotting suspicious activity.
"The suspects opened fire towards where they believed their rivals were gathered. The officers immediately returned fire and the suspects fled in different directions," the source said.
