Posted on: 11:36 Sat, 05 Mar 2016



Some parts of the Mile 12 market
and environs in Kosofe Local
Government Area of Lagos,
yesterday, were tension-soaked
following fresh killings by armed
hoodlums suspected to be from the
Northern part of the country.
Four persons were reported killed
in the renewed midnight ethnic
clash which started on Wednesday
night.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that in
spite of the curfew imposed in the
area, some armed men arrived at
the early hours of yesterday
through the canal and destroyed
some shops in the market.

Some homeless persons sleeping in
the market and adjourning streets
were suspected to have been killed.
A resident, who simply gave his
name as Oluwatimileyin, said: “
The Hausa men crossed the Agilinti
river with canoe and attacked
residents of an estate at Isheri
North, last night.

They even burnt some buildings”.
Irked by the invasion, some armed
Yoruba youths converged close to
the market in readiness for another
clash at about 1pm.

The irate youths, who chanted war
songs attempted to invade the
market and destroy shops
belonging to Hausa traders. But
they were dispersed by security
operatives with tear gas cannisters.

Consequently, residents in the
affected streets have been fleeing
their abodes, following alleged
threats by some Hausa youths to set
their houses on fire at midnight.

Also, Hausa residents in the area
have abandoned their homes for
fear of being caught in the ethnic
war. The popular Mile 12 market
was Thursday, turned into a
theatre of war, during which no
fewer than 12 persons were killed
and several others injured. What
started like a storm in a tea cup on
Tuesday, snowballed into a big
fracas two days later.

The ongoing crisis which began
with a verbal confrontation took a
violent twist after a commercial
motorcyclist popularly called okada
hit a female trader.

Consequently, the popular Mile 12
market was shut by the state
government, with curfew imposed
on four neighbouring streets:
Maidan, Agilinti 1, Agilinti 2 and
Oniyanrin, close to the market.



How it happened According to eye
witnesses’ account, a commercial
motorcyclist from the northern part
of the country who was riding
against traffic hit one of the
residents, a Yoruba woman who
sustained severe injuries.

This attracted sympathy from co-
residents, who argued that she
should be taken to a nearby
hospital at the expense of the rider.
The Okada rider bluntly refused the
idea and called his colleagues from
the same ethnic group, during
which a fight ensued.

This matter was amicably settled by
some community leaders.

Unfortunately, the victim passed on
the following day, a development
that drew the anger of the woman’s
friends and subsequently led to
fresh crisis on Thursday.

On that Thursday most of those who
became victims of the clash were
commuters either going or
returning from work. Sensing
danger, the Okada rider’s friends
and other co-okada riders from the
Northern extraction re-mobilised
and positioned themselves in
various places wielding dangerous
weapons to attack the Yoruba.

The news spread such that some
hoodlums took advantage of the
situation by proceeding to Mile 12
market to vandalise and loot the
traders’ shops. On noticing the
development, the Hausa also
strategised to torch and vandalise
vehicles and buildings and by the
time the dust settled, no fewer than
12 lives were lost while 12
buildings, 10 vehicles and other
valuable items were destroyed.

Victims’ accounts Some of the
victims, who spoke to Saturday
Vanguard, condemned the belated
response of the Police at Mile 12
Division.

“The Police at Mile 12 did not
respond on time and when they
eventually arrived the scene, they
could not stop the raging war,’’ Mr
Igba Andrew, one of the victims,
who was badly injured and who
also had his two-year-old son
kidnapped during the incident
said: “I was at home when some
Hausas came with guns, broken
bottles and matchetes and
forcefully took my son away and
up till now, his whereabouts
remain unknown,”
A clergy, Pastor Adekunle
Tanimowo, had his only building,
church and car razed. ‘’I am left
with nothing and only God can
restore me. I was in the church
preparing for the day’s event when
my wife screamed in the house and
I rushed to attend to her but to our
surprise, some men were seen afar
off conversing in Hausa language
and we sensed danger.

Without wasting time, we fled the
scene with our children and while
hiding somewhere, I got a call from
somebody who alerted me that all
our properties have been torched
by the attackers.”

They left me when I spoke Hausa –
Survivor Another victim, Mr Kunle
Afariogun, who escaped death by
the whiskers said he ran into the
hoodlums on his way back from
work. ‘’Thank God I understand
Hausa language, if not, only God
knows what would have happened
to me.

I was on my way home when I ran
into them and they asked me if I
were an Hausa man and I
answered in the affirmative.
But they were not convinced and
asked me to start speaking in
Hausa Language which I did and
they responded in Hausa Language
‘he is one of us, don’t kill him.’’’

A resident of Agilinti, Mrs
Oluwakemi Ologbon, who is
presently seeking refuge in
Ikorodu, said she was scared to
return to the area. ‘’My husband is
taking refuge with his friend while
I am taking refuge with my elder
sister.

Yesterday’s experience was a signal
that Boko Haram has infiltrated
Lagos and the government must act
fast. Thank God I escaped with all
my children but what about so
many people who have lost their
means of livelihood? Six buildings
to my house were razed when I fled
with my family but my husband
decided to stay elsewhere while we
all came to Ikorodu,” she said.

Residents flee homes over possible
reprisal attacks When Saturday
Vanguard visited the community, it
was gathered that many residents
had left their homes in order to
avoid been lynched by the
hoodlums.

A resident, Motunrayo, who spoke
to Saturday Vanguard on phone
said: “I have left for Mowe. And I
am not the only one who has left
the community. Some members of
the community had gone as far as
Ibadan. I don’t want to die. I
believe that going to Mowe will
help me evade any attack.” On how
she escaped, she said: “We moved
through the bush path.

And on getting to Isheri-Osun axis,
we boarded vehicles to our
respective locations.” Motunrayo
noted that they would not return
until there was strong assurance
from the government and the
traditional rulers of both
communities that normalcy has
returned.

Ambode meets traditional rulers in
crisis location Meanwhile,
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode,
yesterday, met with traditional
leaders of Mile 12 and environs, to
find ways of resolving the ongoing
fracas, 24 hours after declaring
curfew in the area.

At the meeting held behind closed
doors in Alausa Secretariat, Ikeja,
sources said that Ambode who was
represented by the Secretary to the
State Government, SSG, Mr. Tunji
Bello, asked the traditional rulers to
instruct their people to sheathe
their swords in order for peace to
return to the community.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that
the Governor assured the
traditional rulers that the
government was working with the
security operatives to end the
frequent face-off between the
Hausa and Yoruba communities in
the axis.

In an interview with Saturday
Vanguard, Baale of Maidan-Mile 12,
Babatunde Ogunjobi, said that the
crux of our meeting was on the
ongoing crisis in Mile 12, saying
“we used the opportunity to
express our displeasure over the
crisis rocking our community.’’

However, armed security men have
been strategically positioned to
ward off any reprisal attack.

Saturday Vanguard gathered over
50 persons were arrested yesterday
in connection with the crisis and
were currently being detained at
the State Criminal Intelligence and
Investigation Department,SCIID.

Spokesperson for the Lagos State
Police Command , Dolapo Badmus,
said there was no fresh killing
yesterday. She said “the police have
dominated the place since
Thursday. We are also assisted by
the Nigerian Army.

We have almost 141 people arrested
in connection with the case and we
will charge them to court. The
suspects were arrested since
yesterday (Thursday ) up to the
early hours of this morning
(yesterday) . Investigation is still
ongoing”.