100 suspects arrested.
Lagos—Five persons
were yesterday reportedly killed and several others injured during an ethnic
crisis which broke at Mile 12 market, along Ikorodu expressway, Lagos, between
Hausa and Yoruba traders.
Several shops, two religious houses , including
vehicles were also razed by the warring traders, with goods worth
several millions of naira destroyed.
However the Lagos State Commissioner of
Police, Fatai Owoseni, said no life was lost .
The violent clash which lasted
for hours, forced the state governor to shut down the market . He also
placed restriction on movements in five streets where the fights escalated to.
Report had it that trouble started after a commercial motorcyclist of northern
extraction knocked a female trader down and attempted to flee. But he was
apprehended and compelled to take the injured trader to the hospital.
The
uproar, created a scene during which other motorcyclists from same region
besieged the scene and insisted that the motorcyclists union took
responsibility of the injured woman’s treatment, since the rider used to pay
his daily dues to it.
This led to a verbal confrontation between motorcyclists
and members of the Union, which degenerated into a fight during which members
of the union who were Yorubas were reportedly over powered.
An eye witness who
gave his name as Chinedu said; “ The union members , some of whom are also
traders regrouped and stormed the market chanting war songs . They started
attacking the abokis okada (Hausa commercial motorcyclists) , who were at the
section where they sold tomatoes, beans and pepper. In the process, several
shops were burnt.
‘’Three Hausa traders who could not escape were said to have
been manhandled.
In retaliation, they started calling their people from Ketu
and other neighbouring markets. ‘’This place was a theater of war. Some
customers were even injured ,while innocent traders had their goods destroyed
in the process”.
Another resident who identified himself as Busayo , disclosed
that the fight started Wednesday night, adding that residents were forced to
flee their homes when the hoodlums started setting houses ablaze.
The incident
caused a hitch in the free flow of traffic as the fight spread to the Ketu end,
with the warring factions taking over the expressway, smashing vehicles
windscreens. Three corpses were said to have been deposited at the morgue while
two others littered both sides of the road. One of the corpses was said
to be that of a trader stabbed to death while escaping.
It took the efforts of
the military, mobile and conventional policemen including those attached to the
Rapid Response Squad, RRS, to bring the situation under control.
The Lagos
State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni; RRS Commander, ACP Olatunji Disu
and other senior police officers were at the scene to stem the tide.
Govt
shuts market
Consequently, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State ordered the
temporary closure of the market , as well as the restriction of movements on
Oniyanri, Maidan, Agiliti 1 and Agiliti 2 streets.
Addressing Government House
Correspondents at the Lagos House, Alausa, Governor Ambode explained that the
decision to shut the market and restrict movements on the streets was to aid
security agencies restore calm in the area.
He said “In order to further
restore calm, I have ordered that Mile 12 Market be temporarily closed and
urged traders, community leaders and other stakeholders to eschew violence; be
calm and law abiding.Furthermore, I have also ordered a temporary restriction
of movement in the following streets; Oniyanri Street, Maidan Street, Agiliti 1
and Agiliti 2.
I have just been informed that some miscreants and criminal
elements have exploited that dispute to cause a breakdown of law and order
within the area.
”These types of clashes do occur from time to time in a
multi-ethnic city like Lagos and government has responded appropriately.
“The
public is hereby assured that we will not shy away from our responsibilities to
protect lives and property and we will deal decisively with those criminal
elements who fan the embers of ethnic strive”.
Vanguard
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário