Christopher Oji, Lagos
Killings and looting continued Thursday in parts of Lagos, with reports of killings and looted shops by mobs following in the wake of the #EndSARS protests.
Respite came, fortunately, for besieged residents of Fagba, Iju, when the Nigerian Army took charge of the area rocked for two days by clashes between Hausa and Yoruba communities.
Many people, including a pregnant woman and her two children, were killed during the Fagba conflict.
As of Thursday, three people were killed and burnt with used tyres.
The people had distress calls to the police but the police said their hands were tied, forcing the people to start fleeing the area.
As of 2 am, the fight was still on and three persons were killed and many houses burnt.
An official casualty figure has not be confirmed, but a resident, Ifenjika Nwadiani, estimated it to be about twelve.
The numbers could be higher than that, but as of Wednesday over nine persons were killed, and three were killed Thursday.
Many buildings, including a popular pharmacy and the residence of the local Baale, have been burnt in the unrest. A bank and a filling station were also burnt.
‘The good thing is that the Army has arrived and taken over the security of the area. We are so happy and our people who fled their homes have started coming back to their homes. I for one am the happiest person to see the soldiers,’ the jubilant resident said.
In a related development, hoodlums took to the streets and went on a robbing spree from house to house.
A resident, Prince Nwokodi, said: ‘It was open-day robbery, though they started yesterday night. The hoodlums are not protesters, but they cashed in on the crisis to commit havoc. Many people have been killed. I know of Mama Risikat who was matcheted to death for refusing to part with money. So many people were also injured, majority who were stabbed with bottles, dagers, cutlasses and other sharp objects.The robbery is still on because security agencies have not come to our rescue.’
A senior police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he was not permitted to speak officially with the press, said the police high command was aware of the situation but was handicapped.
‘We are aware of the situation at Fagba area of Iju and Orile. We are handicapped. If we try to move in, we will be attacked. If we succeed in arriving the area and we fire on anyone, we will be blamed. Our hands are tied,’ the police source said.