By Akinwale Kasali
There is pandemonium in Idumota area of Lagos, as hoodlums went berserk, unleashing terror on rival groups, passers-by, market men and Wmwomen, who all scampered for safety, forcing shop owners to lock up to avoid vandalization and theft of their wares.
It was gathered that hoodlums from Oluwole, Idumota, Tom Jones, Balogun and Kosoko areas in the Lagos Island had engaged one another in a free for all fight since Wednesday, January 19, 2022, but it escalated Friday, as the hoodlums used guns and other deadly weapons against one another, allegedly leading to the death of three persons with several others sustaining severe injuries from machetes cuts.
The reason for the fight is yet to be ascertained as at the filing of this report, but it took the intervention of the Police and other Security agents for there to be relative peace in the area, but shops are still under lock and key.
Speaking, a Shop Owner in Idumota, who identified himself as Olasukanmi Adio, said that the cause of the fight is not known, but it has become a norm in the area for hoodlums in the area to engage in such fights.
“We can’t even say this is what led to the fight. Boys from Idumota, Kosoko, Tom Jones and its environs always engage in fierce battle of supremacy. Most of their fights has to do with cult related issues, but they usually hide under the guise that they are members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, to cause mayhem.
“Atimes, they engage in this fight to rob people of their personal belongings. When they start their fights, unsuspecting and innocent people that had come to the market to purchase goods will fall victim and they will be robbed of their belongings. So it is usually their strategies in perpetrating this act”, Olasukanmi disclosed.
Following this development, the NURTW Officials in the area have distanced themselves from the mayhem, saying those involved are not their members, debunking rumours making the round that NURTW members are causing crisis in the area.
