Three die as thugs clash in Lagos

Three persons were killed at Ojora area of Ijora in Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State yesterday when some hoodlums went on the rampage. It was gathered that the crisis between groups of street urchins in the area started on Sunday and continued yesterday. A resident said that the fight started during a night party.

The clash started around 3am, as the party was in full swing. A resident of Orisumbare, identified as Saheed Jimoh, was hacked to death. Some hoodlums from Orisumbare, after learning of Jimoh’s death, went to Ojora yesterday and killed another resident, identified as Hammed Atobatele. The hoodlums vandalised vehicles and chased people with dangerous weapons. Many of the residents were forced to stay indoors. In the ensuing violence, policemen attached to the OP MESA were alerted.

They raced to the scene and shot sporadically into the air to disperse the thugs. As the hoodlums were pursued to Orisumbare, a resident, whose is not yet known, was caught up in the commotion and tried to escape into a swamp. It was learnt that he got drowned. A witness, who gave his name simply as Samuel, said the body of the victim from Orisumbare had been taken away by his parents for burial.

The Secretary of the Apapa Iganmu Community Development Committee, Kehinde Omonisi, who tried to mediate among the hoodlums, was hit with a charm during the rampage, and his ears started bleeding. Omonisi said that the communities had decided, at a meeting held yesterday, to hand over any hoodlum found to the police.