Bloody Clashes in Lagos Market; Houses Burnt, Many Killed

Bloody clashes in the Mile 12, Ketu area of Lagos on Thursday left no fewer than 10 persons dead and about 100 others injured. Among the dead were two schoolchildren, traders, artisans and residents.A two-year-old boy, Andrew Daniel, who was abducted by some hoodlums and taken away after his father, Igba, was attacked with machetes and left for the dead.

According to Punch, no fewer than 40 vehicles were either burnt or vandalised in the Agiliti area of Ketu.

Two churches and over 20 houses were equally set ablaze and hundreds of residents rendered homeless in Maidan community as a result of the violence which was said to have broken out after a disagreement between some Yoruba and Hausa in the area.

Motorcycles, sewing machines, etc. were also destroyed while some shops were looted and razed.

Corpses of slain residents, who were either burnt or beheaded, littered the roads as of 5pm.

Despite the heavy presence of security personnel, the hoodlums, mostly Hausa, who wielded bows, arrows, cutlasses, charms and stones, refused to vacate the roads.

They also attacked the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who tried to calm them down before leaving the community around 1pm.

After the situation had been brought under control by the police, officials of the Rapid Response Squad and military officers, no fewer than 70 suspects were arrested.

It was gathered that the fight had ealier started on Tuesday at the Agiliti area after some residents attacked a motorcycle rider for riding against traffic and almost knocking down a pregnant woman.

A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The motorcycle rider, a Hausa, almost hit a pregnant woman and people challenged him for riding against traffic.

“Because he didn’t understand English, he misunderstood them and attacked them, which started a fight. A man, who took up the fight with the Hausa man, stabbed him. The Hausa man also stabbed the man.”

The resident said on Wednesday the Hausa apprehended a Yoruba motorcyclist, who committed a similar offence, and attacked him.

“The Hausa people dragged him on the tarred road and I saw how his skin peeled while he raised the alarm. People told me to keep quiet that it was ordinary motorcycle they were dragging. But when they took a closer look and discovered it was a human being, they tried to rescue him but he was dead,” he said.

The clash was said to have aggravated by Wednesday night as the Yoruba allegedly attacked the Hausa residents, where one person allegedly died too.

By Thursday morning, the Hausa reportedly mobilised to avenge the death of their men, but were pushed back by the Yoruba.

Residents say that the fight escalated around 11am on Thursday when the police and some soldiers arrived at the scene and shot at the Yoruba camp, which forced the members to retreat.

A resident, Jamiu Adio, said the police shot directly at the men and injured some of them.

He said, “The Yoruba had to run back and that created an opportunity for the Hausa to enter into the community to wreak havoc.

“The Hausa, backed by the soldiers and the police, set schools on fire and started burning vehicles in Agiliti. When they were done, they broke into Maidan community and burnt 15 houses, including a church.

“They chased a carpenter, Riliwan, and after catching up with him, they cut him with machetes. They poured fuel on him and set him on fire. He was burnt to death.”

The burnt corpse of the victim was sighted, covered with a cardboard paper.

The only link bridge into the community was also destroyed by the rampaging Hausa.

A resident, Modinat Adeyemi, said she had lost all her property. “All I have right now is this blouse I am wearing,” she added.

One of the residents, Mr. Sunday Nejo, who held his two schoolchildren with his wife beside him, said he was going to find a place for his family.

While his wife wept, he said, “I have nothing again. It is only what we are wearing right now that we have. Every other thing has been burnt to ashes. We are homeless and helpless.”

In a mechanic garage in the Agiliti area, about 27 burnt vehicles were sighted, while a Cherubim and Seraphim Church, which had just been completed, was equally razed.

The father of two-year-old Daniel said his son was seized after the Hausa thought he (father) was dead.

He said, “They hit my head with cutlass and I fell down. They cut me also in the hand and I pretended to be dead. They checked to see I was truly dead and when they were satisfied, they left.

“They took my child and were saying, ‘let us go and kill the child too’. I have not seen my child since then.”

A soldier, who confirmed the account, said he saw the Hausa taking away the child and he could not tell what they did to the boy. The child's mother was seen weeping as people consoled.

Government action
The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has ordered the closure of the Mile 12 Market and imposed a curfew on four streets in the area.

Ambode, who spoke at the State House, Ikeja, said the closure of the Mile 12 Market and the curfew would help security agents to restore peace.

He added that the curfew would only affect four streets — Oniyanrin, Maidan, Agiliti 1 and Agiliti 2.

He said, “In order to further restore peace to the community, I have ordered that the Mile 12 Market be temporarily shut. I advise traders and other stakeholders to eschew violence and be law-abiding."