Two persons, including hotel MD killed as police, youths clash

Juliana Francis-

Two persons, including a Managing Director of a hotel were killed and many other people injured after policemen and youths clashed at the Ijora Badia area of Lagos State today.

Eye witnesses’ accounts claimed that the two victims were gunned down by police at the wee hours of yesterday morning, during a fracas between two youth gangs in the area, identified as Badia and Railway boys.

Their death caused the youths and women in the area to march to the police station.

One of the victims has been identified as Chicko Junior, Managing Director of Chicko International hotel. According to residents in the area, Chicko Junior had just only last week Friday, had his marriage introduction.

It was gathered that the fighting started at a ‘Burial remembrance’ party organised by one Kayode Dele Ojo, owner of Dele International Hotel.

The said Ojo was marking his late father’s four years remembrance.

During the party which started on Saturday night and spilled over to Sunday morning, the two youth gangs, who attended the party, had a confrontation and before one knew what was happening, they had started attacking one another with dangerous weapons.

One of the youths, identified simply as Baba, from the Railway boys’ faction, was said to have been inflicted with severe machete cut on his shoulder and is presently in a private hospital, battling for his life.

It was in the heat of the fracas, that the police received a distress call and raced to the scene, to intervene.

But rather than welcome police intervention, both gangs were said to have attacked the policemen, forcing them to open fire.

Two of the youths were gunned killed. One of them was Chicko Junior and the other deceased is still yet unknown.

 One of the eye witnesses said: “The policemen came to settle the fighting between the Railway and Badia boys, but the youths attacked the policemen. The policemen started shooting and killed two of the young men.”

When news of the death of Chicko Junior reached his mother, the grieving woman was said to have mobilised other women, close to 50 and with youths, marched to Badia Police Station.

Stones and broken bottles were hauled at the police station and officers.

Apparently in a reprisal, policemen stormed different areas of Badia and Railway and started arbitrarily arresting any youth they saw.

Attempt made to hear from the Police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, proved abortive as she did not pick her call.