Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Two killed, many injured as communities’ clash in Lagos



Juliana Francis
Two persons were killed and many injured at the Ajah area of Lagos State, after two feuding communities clashed today.
The killing of the victims’ was said to have occurred between Monday night and Tuesday morning.
Eye witnesses claimed that a good number of people were severely injured as thugs from Ilaje youths and Ajah youths engaged one another in a bloody battle over collection of tolls and levies in the area.
One of the deceased people was identified as Oreofe Olulana, a member of the Ilaje youths, whose corpse was taken to the police station.
The clash started on Monday night and spilled over to Tuesday, thus giving some of the thugs’ opportunities to rob people, who were caught in the crisis of their valuables.
The renewed crisis started after youths, suspected to be Ilaje settlers, demanded for their share in the collection of tolls and levies.
One of the residents in the area, explained that the arrival of policemen to the scene, joined by the team at Ajah Roundabout, curtailed the clash from spilling to other parts of the Ajah town.
The resident narrated:  “The fight was between the Ajah Boys and the Ilaje youths. As usual, they fought over who should be collecting money from traders and others. We heard that the Ilaje youths attacked the Ajah youths after they refused to allow them share from the collection of levies that day. They said that the Ajah people were preventing them from eating and they attempted to forcefully dislodge them from the park. “
It was further learned that one of the Ajah youths was killed on Monday night, while people from both factions were seriously injured.
The clash continued early yesterday and one of the Ilaje youths was said to have been killed and another set of people injured.
Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, confirmed the clash, adding that the Ilaje youths brought a corpse to Ajah Police Station on Tuesday afternoon and accused the Ajah youths of being responsible for the murder of the deceased.
According to Braide, the police had twice on Monday night and early Tuesday morning arrived at the scenes of the incident to discover that the thugs had dispersed.
“The divisional police officer in charge of Ajah on Monday night received a call that some people were trying to foment trouble and he mobilized his men to the place but the people had dispersed," said Braide.

No comments: