TheCable

Thursday’s clash between motorcycle riders and residents of the Agiliti area of Mile 12 almost resulted in the lynching of innocent pupils of a school, a witness has told TheCable.

According to the witness who did not want to be named for fear of reprisal, that clashes had been occurring in the area between the motorcycle riders and youths in the area before the latest occurrence.

“The trouble started two days ago. It was this okada people; they hit one pregnant woman and she fell. Boys told them not to take one way again, that they were wounding people. The man brought out a knife and wounded the boy that told them not to take one way; that was what brought the problem,” he said.

A burnt vehicle and a torched house

“Every day, they fight in the night. Yesterday, they started at 9:30pm and stopped at to 1am. We thought they would start at night again not knowing that they wanted all the boys to go to work before they came.

“They even wanted to burn the school with children inside. It was the owner of the school that was crying that she is not the owner of the children.

“I called emergency and they said they will come but they didn’t come on time. The policemen and soldiers came and they started shouting and pushing all the Yorubas away because they wanted to take all the vehicles belonging to the Hausas away; that was why they were pushing the Yorubas away.

“They were shooting, using teargas. See my house and that house, those are the only two houses left in this area and it is by the grace of God.”

Akinwunmi Ambode, governor of Lagos state has ordered the temporary closure of the Mile 12 market following the unrest in the area.