Policemen talking with some traders at
the market
Hell was let loose again yesterday in
Ladipo area of Mushin, Lagos State, as
hoodlums wreaked havoc at the
popular Ladipo auto spare-parts market
following a disagreement between some
hoodlums popularly known as area
boys and traders.
Although no life was lost, close to 40
vehicles were burnt while houses and
shops were also torched. According to
eyewitnesses, the quick intervention of
policemen from the Area D Police
Command and the Rapid Response
Squad (RRS) averted blood bath in the
area.
The crisis, which started at about 8a.m.
over illegal ticketing, snowballed into
an ethnic fight between the Igbo
traders and Yoruba residents. The angry
residents who took to the streets to
protest the destruction of their homes,
called on the government to relocate
the market as they were tired of the
violence.
It was gathered that trouble started
after the hoodlums scrambled over
collection of ticket money from a car
that parked in the area, which left one
person injured. In retaliation, the
market Taskforce, claimed to be acting
under the orders of the Union’s
President allegedly led the hoodlums
that wreaked havoc.
A resident said: “The union is biased
and they are the problem here. The
Igbos are hiding under the union to
wreak havoc. “I usually come out in the
morning around 6a.m. to pack sand
from the gutter with my wheelbarrow
because that’s what I sell in front of my
house. So, I had used my barrow to
block my frontage so that no car will
park there and cover my wares.
One of the vehicles destroyed dring the
mayhem
“Suddenly, one man came and said I
must leave there. He pushed me and
people came to settle it. So, I went into
my room and then I started hearing
shouts,” he said.
A man who claimed his brother was
killed threatened to avenge his death,
accusing policemen from Olosan station
of corruption.
The Executive Secretary of Mushin
LCDA, Jide Bello, who visited the scene
urged the people to maintain peace,
assuring them that investigation would
be conducted and those found guilty
punished.
Affected streets are Odushina, Oloje,
Dramola Street, Olapeju, Oshoro,
Akinwunmi and Ladipo Market.
Residents in the affected areas were
said to have fled to avoid being caught
in the mayhem. A police source said he
counted 40 vehicles burnt and several
others with broken screens. People
have taken refuge in their houses as
shops were hurriedly shut by their
owners who fled to safety.
Lagos State police spokesperson, Dolapo
Badmos, who confirmed the fracas at
Mushin, noted that there was no single
death recorded due to the prompt
intervention of police patrol team in
the neighbourhood.
According to her, “no single death was
recorded during the incident. Four men
were injured and rushed to the
hospital. The fracas ensued after a fight
between two people fighting over
buying foods.
Despite the restored calm, shops at the
Ladipo market were shutdown
throughout yesterday for fears of
reprisals. The Guardian gathered that
the Commissioner of Police, Fatai
Owoseni, has ordered full-scale
investigation into the matter.
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