Two persons, including the Managing Director of a hotel, were killed and many other people injured when policemen and youths clashed at the Ijora Badia area of Lagos State.
Eyewitnesses’ accounts claimed that the two victims were gunned down by police in the wee hours of Sunday, during a fracas between two youth gangs in the area, identified as Badia and Railway boys.
Their death caused the youths and women in the area to march to the police station.
One of the victims has been identified as Chicko Junior, the Managing Director of Chicko International hotel.
According to residents of the area, Chicko Junior had just only last week Friday had his marriage introduction.
It was gathered that the fighting started at a burial remembrance party organised by one Kayode Dele Ojo, owner of Dele International Hotel.
The said Ojo was marking his late father’s four years remembrance.
During the party, which started on Saturday night and spilled over to Sunday morning, members of the two youth gangs, who attended the party, had a confrontation.
They fought with dangerous weapons.
One of the youths, identified simply as Baba, from the Railway boys’ faction, was said to have been inflicted with severe machete cut on his shoulder and is presently in a private hospital, battling for his life.
It was in the heat of the fracas that the police received a distress call and raced to the scene, to intervene.
But rather than welcome the police intervention, both gangs were said to have attacked the policemen, forcing them to open fire.
Two of the youths were killed in the process.
One of them was Chicko Junior while the identity of the other is still unknown.
One of the eyewitnesses said: “The policemen came to settle the fighting between the Railway and Badia boys, but the youths attacked the policemen.
“The policemen started shooting and killed two of the young men.”
When news of the death of Chicko Junior reached his mother, the woman was said to have mobilised other women, close to 50, and with the youths, marched to Badia Police Station.
Stones and broken bottles were hauled at the police station and officers.
Apparently in a reprisal, policemen stormed different areas of Badia and Railway and arbitrarily arrested any youth in sight.
Attempt made to hear from the police spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, proved abortive as she did not pick her call.
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