Hoodlums kill two, loot shops in Lagos mayhem

No fewer than two people have been killed, while six others severely injured after an early morning attack on some residents of Sule Lane, in the Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area, Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro learnt that a group of heavily armed hoodlums entered the area around 3am on Saturday, and headed for an apartment where they descended on all the occupants of the room.

Our correspondent learnt that the youths ripped out the intestines of one of the victims, and shot point blank at some others.

Not done, they were said to have looted all the shops on the lane, as they also raided five other streets in the area, vandalising the vehicles parked on the roads.

The affected streets were: Opeloyeru, Obanle, Giwa, Aliu and Akorede.

Residents said no fewer than 30 vehicles were damaged in the mayhem.

When our correspondent visited the area on Saturday, the streets were almost deserted as broken bottles littered the whole of Sule Lane.

Some community leaders led PUNCH Metro to the scene of the bloodbath.

The pathway leading to the bungalow was dotted with blood, while the wall of the dimly-lit room was splattered with blood stains.

A mat and a mattress were roughly packed to a side of the room.

It was gathered that the survivors were taken to a general hospital in the area, while the dead, identified as Wasiu and Taiye, had been taken to a mortuary.

A resident, Bolajoye Aderemi, said, “It was around 3am while we were asleep that the incident happened. Around that time, we heard the noise of some hoodlums as they stormed the house. They were saying, ‘cut them down, kill them all’. We couldn’t come out.

“Then in the morning when we were able to come out, we saw what had happened. I saw two corpses this morning, but the others were taken to the hospital.”

Our correspondent spoke with a group of residents, who said the hoodlums were innumerable.

One of them said, “Those boys came in their hundreds! Nobody could come out. They were armed with guns, cutlasses and bottles. They entered shops and carted away generators, televisions, leather shoes, clothes among others. More than 30 vehicles were vandalised. My bus was also damaged.”

It was gathered that the hoodlums attempted to raze down some buildings but did not succeed.

PUNCH Metro learnt that some of the residents out of fear had started packing out of the area.

Investigations by our correspondent revealed that there had been street fights in the community for some time.

However, the clash became bloody two weeks ago after a popular hotel in the area invited a fuji musician, Remi Aluko, to entertain guests.

A source said, “After he finished singing, the area boys surrounded him and asked for settlements. He gave them about N100, 000. The money he gave them was the genesis of the fight.

“That night, one person was killed and the reprisals started. Since then, we have lost our peace in this community.”

Our correspondent during the Saturday visit observed two police patrol vans stationed on one of the troubled spots.

A resident said despite police presence, the hoodlums were still wreaking havoc.

He said, “Yes, the police may be there, but the hoodlums still raided our area in broad day light without the security agents doing anything. We want the authorities to bring soldiers here or else, this may not end anytime soon.”

A community leader, who craved anonymity for security reasons, explained that some women in the community had visited the palace of the traditional ruler.

He said the women, who wept bitterly at the palace, pleaded for the intervention of the ruler to stem the tide of bloodbath and unrest in the area.

“We the men also had a meeting with a member of the House of Representatives in our area and he called some policemen attached to the Rapid Response Squad to augment the work of the local policemen on ground already.

“But the problem is that each time the security men go for lunch break, the hoodlums strike before withdrawing to their hideout. Also, when the policemen retire for the day around 7pm, the hoodlums regroup and invade the street,” he added.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Kenneth Nwosu, confirmed the killings.

He said, “We received information around 6am on Saturday that some area boys numbering about 10 stormed a house and cut one Taiye and Wasiu and about two others with cutlasses at about 4.30am.

“This happened over a protracted dispute between some area boys. However the two victims whose addresses remain unknown died while on treatment in the hospital. One Sheriff Adeshina and one other are on treatment. Effort is on to arrest the perpetrators.”