Hundreds lose properties to fire as Yoruba, Egun youths clash in Lekki
Many have been left to lick their wounds as a result of a brutal clash between some Yoruba and Egun youths in Lekki, which has reportedly left well over 200 structures razed to the ground.
The clash, according to PUNCH, peaked on Wednesday in Otodo Gbame, an Egun community in the Lekki Phase 1 area of Lagos State after the Yoruba youths on Sunday, demanded that the residents vacate the area.
Their demand was met with a strong resistance from the Egun youths, who accused the Yoruba youths of unjust land grabbing.
The publication further gathered that the increasing tension then came to a head when the irate Yoruba youths set fire to structures and properties, leaving the Egun youths to scamper to safety.
Some were lucky to salvage their properties before fleeing as the fire raged.
Policemen from the Rapid Response Squad, the Maroko division and the Area J Command, Ajah, responded to the crisis and dispersed troublemakers.
According to a policeman who was on the scene of the incident, a baby was rescued by his men. He explained that “When the structures were set ablaze, the mother and the father of the baby fled. It was the cry of the baby that drew the attention of policemen to that room. The baby was locked inside the house. The baby was rescued and reunited with her parents.”
“Nobody was killed, but about three persons were injured. The entire community was razed,” he said.
A resident in the area, Hunsu, explained that “The crisis started on Sunday” when “Some people came and said they had bought our land and we should relocate. We did not know that the hoodlums would go to this extent.
“The crisis escalated on Wednesday when they invaded the community and set fire to our property. All my belongings are gone. My wife and children are homeless.”
Confirming the unfortunate incident, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Oni said that the police “received a report that the Egun and Yoruba communities were engaged in a serious brawl over land issue. Upon receipt of the information, the command operatives from the RRS and men of the Area J Command moved in. Some shanties being occupied by the residents were set ablaze by the warring factions.”
She also said five persons have been arrested in connection to the incident. “A baby was rescued from the one of the houses. Five suspects were also arrested in connection with the fracas. The CP visited the scene and promised that everyone involved in the clash would be duly prosecuted.”
