Tension between residents of Oto-Awori and Ijanikin in Lagos reportedly escalated into a deadly confrontation over the weekend, following what locals described as a series of recurring attacks by suspected miscreants.
According to The Punch, the unrest, said to have erupted around 2am on Saturday, resulted in the death of Akinyemi Omo Akin, a student of the Lagos State University of Education. In addition to the fatality, no fewer than seven other individuals were reported to have suffered various injuries during the disturbance.
The violence also spilled onto the Lagos–Badagry Expressway, where irate youths allegedly obstructed traffic, causing significant disruption before security personnel intervened to restore order.
Speaking in a telephone interview, a community figure in Oto-Awori, identified as Adedeji, attributed the outbreak to persistent assaults allegedly perpetrated by individuals from the neighbouring Ijanikin area. He suggested that the latest clash was the result of mounting grievances over those repeated incidents.
“What led to the Saturday problem started in January. Some hoodlums suspected to be from Ijanikin stormed the Oto community, broke into shops and looted goods,” he said.
“When the community and the police intervened, most of the stolen items were recovered in Ijanikin. Then in February, the same hoodlums invaded again and sexually assaulted a woman.”
Adedeji said community leaders had made several efforts to maintain peace but claimed the attacks persisted.
“These boys did not stop despite our peace efforts. They invaded again in the middle of the night, destroying shops and looting. That was when some youths in Oto decided to chase them away,” he added.
The Oto-Awori community representative further claimed that previous security responses had been one-sided. Describing the early hours of Saturday as chaotic, he alleged that gunshots rang out and tear gas was discharged across the area. He added that a pregnant woman was reportedly struck by a bullet, while a young boy was said to have been affected by tear gas inhalation. According to him, no fewer than seven individuals sustained injuries in addition to those who lost their lives.
In response, the General Secretary of the Ijanikin Youth Association, Sanni Oluwasegun, rejected the accusations, maintaining that residents of Ijanikin also suffered harm during the unrest. He stated in a telephone interview that several people from his community were injured as well.
Oluwasegun contended that the confrontation escalated when individuals began shooting upon arrival at the scene. He claimed that even before law enforcement officials reached the area, the Lagos–Badagry Expressway had already been barricaded and projectiles were allegedly thrown at youths in Ijanikin.
He further accused youths from Oto-Awori of initiating the violence, alleging a pattern of nighttime incursions and looting in recent times. According to him, when another attack allegedly occurred around 2am on Saturday, residents mobilised to defend themselves and alerted the authorities.
Despite the tensions, Oluwasegun noted that efforts were being made to ease hostilities between the two communities, expressing optimism that calm had been restored and dialogue was ongoing to maintain peace.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Abimbola Adebisi, confirmed in a statement that several suspects had been apprehended and were assisting investigators. The command disclosed that a substantial deployment of officers had been undertaken to prevent further unrest.
Police preliminary findings indicated that armed individuals from both sides allegedly exchanged gunfire prior to the arrival of officers, suggesting that the fatal victim may have been caught in the crossfire. Authorities reiterated their commitment to maintaining law and order as investigations continue.See_More…