Death of a person has been recorded while many other people injured following clashes between traders and hoodlums at the Alaba International Market in Alaba, Lagos State.
According to reports, the clash was believed to be a fight between the Alaba Market task force and hoodlums.
It was also gathered that the clash started on Tuesday and snowballed to Wednesday.
Several videos have permeated the internet following Wednesday’s clash, showing bloodied men spotting varying degrees of injuries.
One of the videos showed many men armed with weapons, while sporadic shootings rent the air.
The reason for the clash is yet unknown, but different versions have been spread on the social media.
One version claimed that the market task force on Tuesday mobilised and sent hoodlums out of the market and that on Wednesday, the hoodlums re-enforced and stormed the market, leading to a bloodbath.
A Twitter user: @BASILAZUBUIKE, attributed the clash to the realisation by the traders that hoodlums, otherwise called Agberos, were on the increase in the market.
His words: “There’s a pandemonium around Alaba international Market presently.
“The altercation is between the traders (businessmen and women) and the agberos who have been on the increase in the area lately.
“The traders are alleging that the activities of the agberos are chasing their customers away.
“One of the traders I interviewed, said that the increasing incursion of the agberos in the market was hampering their businesses.
“A situation where customers must pay agberos after minor purchases – while heading out from the market, has discouraged the customers from patronising the market.”
Attempts by our reporter to get an official statement on what sparked the clash, the number of those injured or killed and those arrested did not yield fruit as the spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Benjamin Hundeyin, failed to pick his calls.
He, however, tweeted on his Twitter handle: @BenHundeyin, thus: “Alaba International Market is calm.
“Normalcy has been restored.
“@rrslagos767 and men of Ojo Division are on the ground, under the supervision of Area Commander Festac, ACP Igbafe Afegbai.
“There is no cause for alarm as monitoring continues.”
But the market according to the leaders would be shut for now until the issue of extortion by Agberos in Lagos state is resolved
