BY: News Peddlers
The hoodlums, who were suspected of being cultists, were said to have disrupted activities at Ijanikin, Oto-Awori LCDA of Lagos State, where hoodlums and rival gangs have been fighting for several days, over rival monarchs.
CSP Yinka Egbeyemi, Commander of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), led officers and men of the RRS on Thursday to restore normalcy in the area.
According to sources, the violence erupted as a result of disagreements between two monarchs in the area. One of the monarchs was planning his 15th anniversary, which irritated supporters of his rival.
An alleged assault on an Awori native by a masquerade participating in the anniversary celebrations was discovered to be part of the problem.
Hoodlums wielding dane guns, machetes, charms, and other dangerous objects were said to have ordered vehicles to turn back in protest of the assault on the native.
CSP Yinka Egbeyemi, Commander of the Lagos State Rapid Response Squad (RRS), led officers and men of the RRS today to restore normalcy to the area.
According to a driver who witnessed the incident, motorists who attempted to resist them were beaten and their vehicles vandalized.
Meanwhile, residents have protested the assault on one Chima Emmanuel by Ijanikin Division operatives.
According to reports, Emmanuel was attacked Wednesday evening and left for dead at the Iyana-Era Bus Stop.
He was said to be on a bike when a cop hit him over the head with a large stick after a disagreement between the cop and the commercial rider who was carrying him.
"I was traveling to the village for my in-law's final burial," Emmanuel said from his hospital bed. "I took a commercial bike from Agbara to Maza-Maza due to traffic. On our way, at the Iyana Era bus stop, some cops tried to take money from the biker, but he was smart and refused."
"Immediately, one of the officers struck my head with a heavy stick." When I fell off my bike, some good Samaritans rushed me to the hospital."
According to SP Benjamin Hundeyin, a police spokesman, the investigation into the assault on Emmanuel is still ongoing.
"We are fully aware of the ongoing trouble in the Ijanikin area of Lagos State," he said of the violence. "While the officers and men of the Ijanikin Division are fully deployed, reinforcement has been sent. In the meantime, the road has been reopened. We are keeping a close eye on the situation."
SOURCE: THE NATION