Bloody clashes in the Mile 12, Ketu area of Lagos State on Thursday left no fewer than 10 persons dead and about 100 others injured
with gory pictures in the media.
Among the dead were two schoolchildren, traders, artisans and residents.
A two-year-old boy, Andrew Daniel, was abducted by some hoodlums and taken away after his father, Igba, was attacked with machetes and left for the dead.
The PUNCH, which witnessed part of the clashes as it unfolded, counted no fewer than 40 vehicles that were either burnt or vandalised in the Agiliti area of Ketu.
Two churches and over 20 houses were equally set ablaze and hundreds of residents rendered homeless in Maidan community as a result of the violence which was said to have broken out after a disagreement between some Yoruba and Hausa groups in the area.
Motorcycles, sewing machines and other working tools were also destroyed while some shops were looted and razed. Corpses of slain residents, who were either burnt or beheaded, littered the roads as of 5pm when one of our correspondents left the battle areas.
Despite the heavy presence of security personnel, the hoodlums, mostly Hausa, who wielded bows, arrows, cutlasses, charms and stones, refused to vacate the roads. They also attacked the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who tried to calm them down before leaving the community around 1pm.
After the situation had been brought under control by the police, officials of the Rapid Response Squad and military officers, no fewer than 70 suspects were arrested. It was gathered that the fight started on Tuesday at the Agiliti area after some residents attacked a motorcycle rider for riding against traffic and almost knocking down a pregnant woman.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “The motorcycle rider, a Hausa, almost hit a pregnant woman and people challenged him for riding against traffic.
“Because he didn’t understand English, he misunderstood them and attacked them, which started a fight. A man, who took up the fight with the Hausa man, stabbed him. The Hausa man also stabbed the man.”
The resident said on Wednesday the Hausa apprehended a Yoruba motorcyclist, who committed a similar offence, and attacked him.
“The Hausa people dragged him on the tarred road and I saw how his skin peeled while he raised the alarm. People told me to keep quiet that it was ordinary motorcycle they were dragging.
“But when they took a closer look and discovered it was a human being, they tried to rescue him but he was dead,” he said.
The clash was said to have aggravated by Wednesday night as the Yoruba allegedly attacked the Hausa residents, where one person allegedly died.
By Thursday morning, the Hausa reportedly mobilised to avenge the death of their men, but were pushed back by the Yoruba.
Residents told one of Punch correspondents that the fight escalated around 11am on Thursday when the police and some soldiers arrived at the scene and shot at the Yoruba camp, which forced the members to retreat.