Four die as police, hoodlums storm church to wreck havoc over land dispute
Residents of Makoko, Yaba area of Lagos, were thrown into a state of confusion on Thursday when armed policemen and hoodlums stormed a church in the area to cause mayhem.
The police operatives and hoodlums found their way into the Act of Apostle Church in the area, leading to the death of at least four persons.
The incident was said to have happened over a land dispute.
The church, according to a report by The Nation, lost most of its properties to the incident, which also caused many families grief.
Chairs, speakers, ceilings and windows in the church were reportedly destroyed. A tricycle parked in the church compound was also burnt and the windscreens of some cars were shattered.
Eyewitnesses say the police insisted on leaving with the body of one of the victims of the fracas identified as Kolawole Iwalokun.
“I came out of my room and saw many policemen with some hoodlums carrying guns, cutlasses and other weapons in front of the church. I walked up to them and asked what their mission was. One of them told another to throw me into the task force van; I told them they cannot do that to me. We engaged in a little strife and one of the officials said I should be released,” one eyewitness, Nejo Olanrewaju, is quoted as saying.
“The next thing I saw was that they started shooting, not into the air but sporadically. They shot into every direction; a lot of people were affected. I rushed to the community head to see what I could do to help. The whole place was destroyed, many people died.”
A church executive, Bamidele Ogunmayi, confirmed that a land issue led to the crisis, adding that they wonder why the police was interfering in land matter.
Police say normalcy has been restored in the area.
