Thugs destroys 200 vehicles,several residents injured in Lagos.......SEE PHOTO

Firstclass newsline learnt that 200 vehicles were destroyed on
Thursday, while a large number of residents were injured after some
hoodlums went on the rampage in the Ilupeju area of Lagos State.
Firstclass newsline learnt that the hoodlums, who were said to be
close to 100, went round seven streets where they committed the
atrocity.
They stormed streets comprising Arolawun, Akorofayo, Church, Bode
Thomas, Kayode, Awoyokun and Majolate.
Eyewitnesses said the gang members wielded guns, cutlasses, knives,
bottles and other weapons.
A source , who visited the streets, reported that shattered
windscreens littered the roads, adding that some residents bemoaned
their losses.
Many shops and houses were locked as palpable tension enveloped the area.
An eyewitness on Bode Thomas Street, who spoke on condition of
anonymity for security reason, said the men created fear in the people
as they shot sporadically into the air.
He said, "They were many. It was like a war. They divided themselves
into two and came from both sides of the street.
"They came with guns, cutlasses and bottles. They also shot into the
air as people ran helter-skelter."
Another resident, Kafayat Olubamowo, explained that the hoodlums had
first toured the area before striking at 10.30am.
"They first came at 9am and moved round. They returned at 10am and
also moved round and left. At about 10.30am, they came again and
started destroying vehicles," he said.
A businessman, who did not identify himself, told firstclass newsline
that his golf car was damaged.
He said, "They broke the vehicle's windscreen and left me in debt."
The Chairman of taxi drivers in Onipanu, Akanji Shobakin, lamented
that many taxi drivers in the area were affected by the incident.
"About three months ago, they did the same thing. We are fed up," he added.
A source visited a barbing salon, where the hoodlums stabbed a
resident in the hand.
A witness said, "After breaking the glass door of the salon, they
entered and stabbed one of us in the hand. He has been taken to
hospital for treatment."
The iron gate of a house in one of the streets was also broken down.
A resident said the hoodlums entered the building to unleash mayhem on
the tenants in the house.
The police were said to have been alerted while the raid lasted, but
reportedly did not come.
One of the community leaders told a sourcethat they reported at the
Ilupeju Police Division, and the policemen promised to come, but did
not.
"They later asked us to go to the State Department of Criminal
Investigation at Yaba.
"When we got to the place, the policemen there said they were
operating under the state government and that Ilupeju policemen were
supposed to handle the case," he said.
A resident, Victor Idris, said the clash was a supremacy battle.
He said the area had been under siege for more than seven years,
adding that the leaders of the groups were sponsored by politicians.
He said, "This fight is between theTollgateboys andToba's boys. Our
politicians know these people, but they have refused to get them
arrested. These hoodlums use their clashes to commit crimes. They have
stolen my car battery more than four times."
A resident, Adamu Isiaka, said the destruction of vehicles started
around 3am, when some ofToba's boys allegedly invaded Arolawun and
Church streets on Thursday.
He said the hoodlums damaged no fewer than 90 vehicles on the two streets.
"Toba's boys were led byEyimaandBaba Obo. After they destroyed the
vehicles, they retreated into their hideouts.
"TheTollgateboys, around 7am, mobilised to fight back. But they met
resistance from policemen from the Alakara division who opened fire on
them. One of them from Church Street was shot in the leg.
"Later, Toba's boys, who learnt that theTollgateboys were looking for
them, came out. They went round more streets and destroyed more
vehicles."
When contacted on the telephone, Toba denied the allegation of
instigating hoodlums to fight, adding that he was in Abuja for a
ceremony.
He said, "I am not even aware that anything happened until you called
me. I don't know about all the gang fights. I am no longer a union
leader and I don't do politics. As I speak with you now, I am not in
Lagos.
"My house is in Ereko in Fadeyi, and look at the distance of my house
to where they say they are fighting. How could I have been involved in
the fight?
"Those fighting are theTollgate and the Onipanuboys," he said.
His lawyer, O. Ajanaku, in a separate chat with a source , said Toba
was a victim of some haters in the community.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos State Command, Kenneth
Nwosu, confirmed the incident.
He said, "Some miscreants attempted to breach the public peace this morning.
"They were able to damage a few cars on the road. But efforts are on
to apprehend them."
Firstclassnewsline.net