Bennett Oghifo
The Lagos State Police Command, yesterday, said it has quelled the fight that broke out on Thursday among street gangs in Idumota area, Oke Arin, Kosoko, Oluwole, Martins and Balogun and environ, advising people, especially traders, to resume their business.
The police did not disclose the reason for the bloody fracas that caused traders, commercial vehicles’ drivers and commuters to run for safety at about noon on Thursday.
However, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Adekunle Ajisebutu, told journalists yesterday that “The police have quelled the crisis. Sufficient facilities were deployed in the area immediately we received a distress call and normalcy was restored. As we speak, the place is calm. Some arrests have also been made. Investigation has commenced.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Government has appealed to the warning parties, which it identified as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), to stop their violent acts.
In a statement issued by Gbenga Oyerinde, Special Adviser to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Central Business Districts, the government appealed to the warring gangs to stop.
According to Oyerinde, the violence was caused by the “infiltration of the area by street gangs and hoodlums from other parts of the state into the island under the guise of membership of NURTW,” adding that the government “is doing all within its power to restore the peace of the area.”
Oyerinde advised members of the public to be vigilant and security conscious while within the Lagos Island Business District, saying “Security operatives have been mandated to arrest and prosecute anybody breaching the peace of the area.”
The street fight, which lasted till yesterday, began on Thursday, with the warring gang members attacking each other with guns, cutlasses, knives, clubs and other dangerous weapons. They left many injured including traders and commuters. Unconfirmed sources said one person was killed. The hudlooms also used the clash as an opportunity to loot shops and steal from people trapped in the area.
