EXCLUSIVE: What we know about bloody early morning clashes at Ile-Epo Bus Stop today [PHOTOS/VIDEOS]
Residents and traders at the busy Ile-Epo (close to Iyana Ipaja) axis of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway on Thursday (today) woke up to a disturbing clash between some hoodlums who engaged in bloody gang fights that left yet to be ascertained number of people injured.
According to reports, what would later become full blown rival gang war started from Wednesday evening and all efforts by authorities within the area to curtail it was unsuccessful.
Shops with goods worth millions of naira were set ablaze. The hoodlums were also said to have resisted intervention by operatives of the Nigeria Police Force.
They also prevented a fire service truck with operating base close to the market from dousing the fire as they attacked it with stones.
Sights and sounds from clashes at Ile-Epo, Iyana Ipaja today;market set on fire.#Ileepo #YinkaQuadri #Survivor46 #CubanaChiefPriest #GalgotiaUniversity #HBDAjithKumar #Crew96 #MayDay pic.twitter.com/e4xuZFXqGf
— NewsClick Nigeria Media (@NewsClickng) May 2, 2024
Eyewitnesses give different accounts of what led to clash
When NewsClick Nigeria team arrived the market this morning, residents and eyewitness gave different accounts of what led to the clash.
While some said the clash was between Yoruba and Hausa traders, others said the clash was triggered by Hausa community after raping and stabbing a Yoruba woman to death.
‘This is not the first time clashes like this happen in this market. However, this one quickly degenerated into almost a tribal war after some Hausa traders raped and abused a Yoruba woman yesterday evening. When families of the abused woman came to her rescue, the Hausa people inflicted machete wounds on them. I even heard that one or two of them died on the spot. This was what enraged the Yoruba traders to launch a counter attack and it was very bloody,’ one of the area boys (agbero) told NewsClick Nigeria reporter.
However, a resident who identified himself as Wasiu said the clash was between rival gangs fighting for superiority. ‘Some Yoruba and Hausa gangs within the Ile-Epo market are fighting for supremacy. The Yoruba gangs felt insulted that Hausa people can be so bold enough to challenge their authority. It became a serious gang war and the result is what you are seeing. The Hausa shanties were destroyed and markets were also set ablaze. But police and Task Force team are on standby now, peace is gradually returning.’
Police arrest 50 suspects, uncover drug den
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Police Force has arrested over 50 suspects with links to the clash. Police operatives also demolished shanties occupied by the hoodlums.
This was made known in a statement posted by the Lagos State Police Command, signed by the Lagos PPRO, SP Benjamin Hundeyin on Thursday.
“Over fifty suspects have so far been arrested while the shanties they occupied have been destroyed, effectively dislodging them,” the statement read.
However, during the operation to dismantle the shanties, law enforcement officers stumbled upon a hidden drug den that had been operating in plain sight.
The discovery shed light on the extent of criminal activities in the area and raised concerns about the prevalence of drug-related issues.
According to the statement, Commissioner of Police, CP Adegoke Fayoade, wasted no time in directing the prompt prosecution of the arrested hoodlums.
“The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, CP Adegoke Fayoade, has directed the prompt prosecution of the arrested hoodlums and has equally warned that the Command would decisively deal with anyone found breaching the peace, in accordance with the law,” the statement read.