1 killed, many injured as Okada riders, mini bus drivers clash in Lagos

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One person was stabbed to death, while several were injured and vehicles were damaged when commercial motorcycle operators, widely known as Okada riders, ambushed a micro bus (Korope) in Ogba, Lagos.

The Korope driver was attacked on Thursday and killed today.

According to a witness, the Okada riders mistaken the bus occupants for policemen who regularly came to extort them and attacked them with deadly weapons such Japanese daggers.

The Korope driver was brutally stabbed before the Okada riders recognised he was not a police officer and fled the area.

According to Izu Madunebi, “the victim was brought to the hospital but passed away. The story of the man’s death spread like wildfire, and yesterday morning, Korope drivers and their supporters arrived seeking vengeance, attacking Okada riders, and there was free for all. Bottles, daggers, and other cudgels were widely utilised. Many individuals were injured, one person died, and numerous properties were damaged. The police had to intervene to salvage the situation.

According to Lagos State Police Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Benjamin Hundyin, there was a murder on Thursday; a group of Okada riders at Ogba attached a commercial bus driver (Korope driver) at around 11 p.m. the previous day, mistaking the occupants for police officers enforcing Lagos law on motorbike riders. “They used a knife to inflict injury on the chest of one of the occupants, Abiodun Hassan, 36. He was brought to Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Ikeja for treatment, but he passed away.”

According to him, a team of police officers was dispatched to the scene, and two suspects, Nura, Seidu, and Yusuf Abubakar, were arrested. While they are being interviewed at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), the deceased’s body was deposited at a public mortuary.