100 Injured, Vehicles Destroyed As Police and Hoodlums Clash in Lagos

It was a bloody scene Yesterday at Lafiaji when  more than 100 people were injured and over 50 vehicles damaged during a clash between the hoodlums  and the policemen from the Lion Building Division.

According to reports, the clash was an extension of the Saturday supremacy fight between two rivalry group in the area which started after a politician allegedly gave out money  and it was not equally shared. The hoodlums reportedly went to war attacking people and destroyed properties, and the affected areas like Oshodi, Okepopo, Ajanaku, Glover and Tokunbo. It took the military officers of the Quick Response Group, 55 Battalion, Bony Camp, Victoria Island, to finaly restore peace.

An eyewitness said that people were trapped in their homes in fear. “This madness started around 1am on Saturday. There was noise of gunshots throughout the night” “By morning, they had started damaging vehicles and cutting one another with cutlasses.
“Sunday was worse. It was like war. We could not come out of our homes. Those boys had all kinds of weapons and the guns they had were sophisticated. Even the police had to retreat at a point.”
Another source added that many children could not go to school as the fight continued, while one pupil said many of her classmates didn’t show up. In her words, “We were in school today when our teachers came to tell us they had started shooting again. She said we should stay quiet. We were released to go home around 2pm, instead of the 3.30pm that we normally close”
A community leader, called for the arrest of one Michael Jagar who he blamed the conflict, but a former Councillor Hammed Okunuga, was able to safe Jagar of blame, adding that the battle had been an ongoing issue.
“There are two groups in this area. There is a group from Foresight and Okesuna streets and another from Agbole,” Okunuga said. “Agbole consists of Loius, Simpson, Down Olly and Igbosere streets. The Agbole boys attacked Foresight/Okesuna twice and those ones later retaliated.
“Jagar, who is a community leader, tried to appease the two groups, which were engaged in a supremacy clash, but they refused,” he continued, adding, “They faced the police in a shootout and the female Divisional Police Officer in Lion Building was almost stabbed. The military later came to support the police. More than 100 people were injured and the cars damaged cannot be less than 50.”
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said, “No death was recorded and some arrests have been made. The command will not spare anyone found culpable.”