Lockdown: One dies as hoodlums attack Lagos communities

A yet-to-be-identified person has been killed during a clash between hoodlums from the Aboru and Mosan in the Oke-Odo and Ipaja areas of Lagos State.

Similarly, armed robbers, in the early hours of Wednesday, attacked Anthony Village and the Iju Ishaga area of Lagos.

During the clash on Monday, a man was injured and died while being rushed to hospital for treatment.

In a footage trending on the social media, a man was seen carrying the victim on his left shoulder to an unknown destination as he mounted a motorcycle.

“They have killed him; they have killed him; go and dump him there; Abesan is on fire,” the recorder of the footage said, while the corpse was being conveyed to where he was allegedly killed.

An eyewitness, identified simply as Taiwo, aka Akala, told one of our correspondents on Wednesday that the man carrying the corpse was Eze, adding that after he dumped it on the kerb of a canal around the Aboru Bridge, he mobilised hoodlums from Aboru to attack residents of Mosan.

Taiwo said, “Because of this COVID-19 lockdown, a lot of people stayed at home. Initially, we heard that the One Million Boys were coming to attack us in our community, so, we mobilised to defend ourselves. But around 3pm, I saw Eze on the motorcycle with a corpse and he dumped it at Mosan, close to the Aboru Bridge.

“When I asked him to explain what happened, he said everything was set and left with a threat. Later on, he mobilised armed hoodlums to attack us in Mosan.

“During the attack, a lot of households were robbed, property looted and vehicles vandalised. The hoodlums were led by Eze and they came from Aboru. A lot of residents have abandoned their homes because of the incident.”

It was learnt that residents of Shopade, Anike-Ibikunle and Koshemani streets in Mosan were attacked and dispossessed of their valuables.

One of the victims, who identified herself simply as Adijat, said the hoodlums invaded her house and robbed her and her neighbours, adding that the incident was connected with the corpse found at Mosan.

The corpse was said to have been deposited in the Yaba Mortuary.

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said the discovery of the corpse led to the crisis, adding that the command was on the trail of Eze.

He stated that a case of murder was suspected, adding that the matter had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Panti, Yaba, for discreet investigation in a bid to unravel the circumstances surrounding the victim’s death.

Elkana said, “The corpse has been recovered by personnel of the command from the Ipaja Police Division and it was the corpse that caused the clash between the Aboru and Mosan communities.

“In the footage trending on the social media, a suspect was seen carrying the corpse, which was later dumped in Mosan. A picture of another corpse lying on the floor also emerged on the social media, but after analysing the footage, we have been able to ascertain that the corpse was the same as the one dumped in Mosan.

“We have deposited the corpse in the mortuary. We are suspecting a case of murder, but detectives are currently on the trail of the man seen dumping the corpse. The case has been transferred to the SCIID for further investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding the person’s death.

“The Divisional Police Officer, Ipaja, CSP Tokunbo Abaniwonda, held a meeting with stakeholders in the community today (Wednesday) and most of the facts surrounding the recovered corpse and the clash were revealed. We have also stationed men at strategic locations in the community to forestall reprisal and restore the confidence of the residents.”

In Anthony Village and Iju Ishaga, residents said that the assailants, who were mostly youths, were over 50 in number.

A resident of Adebayo Mokuolu Street, Anthony Village, said the hoodlums came through the Gbagada Expressway.

The resident stated, “Some hoodlums came into our community through the Hotel Newcastle and they vandalised vehicles. They couldn’t make their way around Anthony Village easily, because most of the streets have gates.

“Luckily, some local security men were able to repel them, but they threatened to return in numbers. We reported the matter to the Anthony Police Division.”

A resident of Iju said that the hoodlums also attacked several persons on Monday and Tuesday in broad daylight.

The resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told our correspondent that the hoodlums wielded knives, vandalised many vehicles and broke into people’s homes.

He said, “We formed vigilance groups last night (Tuesday) and kept vigil in order to prevent those boys from coming into our houses. These young guys are not even up to 25-year-old. Even in the day time, they attacked people, snatched phones and ATM cards.

“On Tuesday, they went on rampage on Alfred Williams Street. So, at night, we prepared ourselves by forming vigilance groups. We informed the policemen at the Iju Police Station, Red House, but they never arrive on time.

“We seriously need increased police presence here if this lockdown will last longer.”

The PPRO said that security was being beefed up across the state, adding that any hoodlum caught disturbing the peace would be dealt with.

“We have stationed our men in strategic places across the state. We have increased our presence in the areas more than ever,” Elkana stated. (The Punch)