Ajegunle area
Some members of a vigilance group clashed with hoodlums over formula for money sharing as gunshots paralysed activities on Arumoh and Ugbonwankwo streets in the Ajegunle area of Lagos State on Tuesday.
It was learnt that some undisclosed money had earlier been paid by a man who was building a house in the area to one of the groups to enable his contractors to work unhindered.
According to reports, as the two groups could not agree to any sharing formula, it led to a free-for-all, during which a youth, identified as Rasheed Olanrewaju, was shot dead while others were said to have been injured in the rampage, which residents said, lasted for three hours.
It was gathered that policemen from the Ajegunle division were invited to the scene, but the warring parties ignored them as they were said to have burnt down an office of the vigilance group in the area, after which the police arrested two suspects.
A resident on Ugbonwankwo Street, Comfort Udoh, said she and her children laid on the floor in their one-room apartment while the gunshots lasted.
"We learnt that the leader of the vigilance group, Ezekiel, was greedy. His attitude caused the fight. The other group wanted him to share the money equally, but he refused.
"The money is owo omo onile (land speculator’s levy) which landlords pay before putting up any structure on their sites. People later said Ezekiel’s group shot dead one person belonging to the other faction. Some other people said the person killed was an innocent resident."
Another resident, identified only as Chuka, said the vigilance group members were the ones who collected the owo omo onile, and the hoodlums demanded their share.
"Ezekiel is the leader of a popular vigilance group unit in the area. He was said to have collected a huge sum of money from a man who wanted to build a house, but the other group demanded their share of the illegal money. In the process, a gun battle started between the two groups.
"Four of the hoodlums sustained injuries during the shootout. The clash caused panic in our area. The hoodlums opened gunfire on one another. Later, the Ajegunle Divisional Police Officer and some policemen came and arrested two of the hoodlums," he said.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the clash. She added that investigation was ongoing on the matter.
"There was a fight between some area boys (hoodlums) and vigilance group members over omo onile’s money collected by the leader of the vigilance group which he allegedly refused to share. The hoodlums set ablaze the office of the vigilance group and a shop beside it.
"In the process, the vigilance group shot dead one man, Rasheed (Olanrewaju). Two suspects have been arrested and detained. The police recovered two live and four expended cartridges from the scene. Investigation is ongoing into the matter," she said.
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