Five feared dead, seven policemen injured as hoodlums, police clash in Lagos

At least five people were believed to have been killed yesterday at the Adekunle area of Yaba of Lagos State, after some street urchins otherwise known as area boys, engaged the police in a gun duel.

The hoodlums seized the opportunity to vandalised vehicles, broke into shops and robbed passersby as well as motorists.

Armed with guns and other dangerous weapons including stones, the hoodlums held the entire area hostage to hours before the police were able to subdue them and return normalcy to the area.


Nobody could explain the reason for the fight, but it was between the hoodlums and policemen attached to Yaba Police Division of the Lagos State Police Command.

Eye witnesses claimed that the problem started at the Makoko area the situation snowballed. The fight was taken to Herbert Macaulay Street and the Adekunle end of Third Mainland Bridge.

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The clash coupled with the torrential rainfall caused a terrible traffic snarl that lasted for hours around the Yaba axis as well as the road leading to the Lagos Island

Another eye witness, identified as Kunle Kolawole said, "We were all going about our daily activities when the fracas started. We waved it off at first because something similar occurred two weeks back but it was contained.  But we were in for a rude shock when these hoodlums went on rampage. Even when the police came and tried to restore peace, they resisted and fought back.


"It was a full blown war between them and the police and we all ran to safety because they were shooting indiscriminately. It was after peace had been restored that we saw some corpses littered around. I don't know if  they those of the hoodlums or innocent bystanders. The corpses were later taken away by the police."

Confirming the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said, "Police was at makoko at about 8am today to execute a court order on demolition of certain area of makoko.

"Youths of that area on sighting d Police mobilised and launched an attack on the police. They were armed with guns and other dangerous weapons like cutlasses, bottles, daggers, rods and sticks.

"Seven policemen sustained pellet injuries and are receiving treatments now. At this juncture, Police withdrew to avoid innocent casualties. Though security is heightened in the area now and normalcy has returned."