Thursday, March 26, after armed men invaded the area.
Residents and witnesses say that the men, numbering close
to 50, were members of the Oodua People’s Congress
(OPC).
The gang members wore masks and carried sophisticated
weapons with which they shot sporadically into the air,
Punch reports.
A vendor, identified as Samuel Ojukwu , told Punch that
the attackers were supporters of President Goodluck
Jonathan.
“This morning, as I was arranging newspapers on the
newsstand, I saw some people running. I didn’t know
what was pursuing them, so I sat at the stand,” Ojukwu
said.
“Then, these heavily armed men showed up. I started
shaking with fright where I sat as they approached my
newsstand. The man who led them had two pistols in his
side pockets, and held another one in his hand. One of
them came to me and said, ‘Baba, don’t be afraid. When
you vote on Saturday, vote for Jonathan.’ I was so
afraid,” he added.
“Some of the hoodlums wore masks and I believe they are
known faces. That was why they covered their faces,”
another witness, Ojuolape Obafemi , told Punch.
“They entered into streets and nobody could come out to
challenge them. I believe they were OPC members
because they wore all kinds of ammunition and amulet,” she
added.
Obafemi said further that after the group armed with guns
left the area, another group armed with sticks, bottles and
cutlasses took over and began to harass passersby.
A bus conductor in the area stated that the riot was
connected with the rivalry between the All Progressives
Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP).
The violence was later quelled upon the arrival of the
police and other security agents.
OPC members had earlier unleashed mayhem on Ikorodu
Road in Lagos when they took to the streets to campaign
for Jonathan and demand the resignation of Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman,
Attahiru Jega.
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