Lagos Government Restricts Movement Around Mile 12 Following Yesterday's Clash
The scene of the clash at Mile 12 in Lagos yesterday. Inset is an injured woman being assisted by a sympathizer.
A motorcycle accident triggered a riot at the Mile 12 market along Ikorodu
Road in Lagos yesterday.
Witnesses said six people were feared killed while others including some policemen were injured in the riot but the police said no death was recorded in the incident.
The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said after a government announcement that movement was being restricted on four affected streets and would be lifted when normalcy returns, adding that no death was recorded.
A commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider) had allegedly hit and injured a boy from a different ethnic group at the Agiliti area of Mile 12 on Wednesday. He allegedly refused to take care of the victim and yesterday, the situation degenerated into a clash between the victim’s kinsmen and supporters and those of the commercial motorcyclist over control of the market.
The riot which lasted for hours resulted in the blockage of the Ikorodu Road from the nearby Ketu, while commercial activities were suspended. Soldiers were later drafted to join policemen who moved to the market to restore order.
The rioters who were reportedly armed with cutlasses and bottles, destroyed property worth of millions of naira, including houses, shops and foodstuff in some shops. A school was also burnt down.
Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, ordered the temporary closure of the market, while imposing a curfew on four streets in the area. The streets affected are Oniyanrin, Maidan, Agiliti 1 and Agiliti 2.
Ambode said there was a dispute among some members of the Mile 12 community, and the police and other security officials were called in to check the situation.
“After their intervention, the dispute appeared to have subsided. I have just been informed that some hoodlums and criminal elements had exploited that dispute to cause a breakdown of law and order. This type of clash occurs from time to time in a multi-ethnic city like Lagos, and the government has always responded appropriately.
“The public is thereby assured that we will not shy away from our responsibility to protect lives and property. We will deal decisively with those criminal elements involved in the clash. I have been assured by the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies at the scene that the situation has been brought under control.
Source: www.dailytrust.com.ng
Witnesses said six people were feared killed while others including some policemen were injured in the riot but the police said no death was recorded in the incident.
The Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said after a government announcement that movement was being restricted on four affected streets and would be lifted when normalcy returns, adding that no death was recorded.
A commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider) had allegedly hit and injured a boy from a different ethnic group at the Agiliti area of Mile 12 on Wednesday. He allegedly refused to take care of the victim and yesterday, the situation degenerated into a clash between the victim’s kinsmen and supporters and those of the commercial motorcyclist over control of the market.
The riot which lasted for hours resulted in the blockage of the Ikorodu Road from the nearby Ketu, while commercial activities were suspended. Soldiers were later drafted to join policemen who moved to the market to restore order.
The rioters who were reportedly armed with cutlasses and bottles, destroyed property worth of millions of naira, including houses, shops and foodstuff in some shops. A school was also burnt down.
Lagos Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, ordered the temporary closure of the market, while imposing a curfew on four streets in the area. The streets affected are Oniyanrin, Maidan, Agiliti 1 and Agiliti 2.
Ambode said there was a dispute among some members of the Mile 12 community, and the police and other security officials were called in to check the situation.
“After their intervention, the dispute appeared to have subsided. I have just been informed that some hoodlums and criminal elements had exploited that dispute to cause a breakdown of law and order. This type of clash occurs from time to time in a multi-ethnic city like Lagos, and the government has always responded appropriately.
“The public is thereby assured that we will not shy away from our responsibility to protect lives and property. We will deal decisively with those criminal elements involved in the clash. I have been assured by the Commissioner of Police and other security agencies at the scene that the situation has been brought under control.
Source: www.dailytrust.com.ng
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