Mushin Mayhem claims 10 lives, as street boys fight in Lagos

Street urchins disrupted social and economic activities for two days of Thursday and Friday last week resulting to deaths of four persons while several others sustained several degrees of injuries.

The fracas took place at notorious community of Mushin in Lagos South-West Nigeria. Residents of the area run helter scatter while trying to find an escape route from the seemingly war zone and in the process suffered some injuries.

The street fight, which the police have managed to put into control, was between some miscreants from Fadeyi area on one hand and Mushin on the other.

Daily signpost gathered that the Friday killing was as a result of a long-standing feud between some youths in Fadeyi area and their Mushin enemies.

Numbering about 30 the gang boys said to have come from Ereko Street, Fadeyi took the war to Mushin and attacked the Mushin boys who fought them back in retaliation.

It was learnt that the first attack took place at a naming ceremony organised by a Keke NAPEP chairman in the area simply known as Gaddafi. The party took place on Alhaji Ota Street to mark Gaddafi’s child naming ceremony. The party was going on when the residents started hearing gunshots.

From that moment the residents started scampering for safety thinking that it was robbers. Those watching soccer matches took to their heels as the guns where rattling in the air with loud sounds.

One Lanre Pumping and Monsuru 50 cent were seen clutching a pump-action rifles and was shooting sporadically at everywhere.  In the process, one Kazeem was shot in the private part while another guy was shot in the head and a man, identified as Yinka was shot in the back.

As if that wasn’t enough, the gang later returned and killed two people in the area while over ten others were hit by stray bullets.

Our source said at about 11.30am on Friday, another gang crammed in a red Toyota Camry, started shooting around Alhaji Ota Bus Stop, along Agege Motor Road. Most of the people who were hit were commercial bus drivers who had just closed for the day.

“As people were running to avoid being hit, about four other guys from nowhere brought out AK-47 rifles and started shooting at those running away. One bus conductor, who was standing nearby was pinned to the ground and shot repeatedly until he died.”

It was learnt that policemen, led by the Area D Commander, Omololu Bishi, arrived the area but the hoodlums had escaped.

It was learnt that angry youths held unto the corpses and refused to allow the police to take them away.

An eyewitness, Ayotunde Adegbokun, said the area commander was able to appeal to the residents to release the corpses which were later deposited at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Mortuary.

“The area commander appealed to us and we later released the corpses. He rushed about five victims to Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi Araba, where he also deposited about N120, 000 for the treatment of the victims,” he said.

A man, who identified himself as the guardian of one of the surviving victims, Matthew Idowu, said Idowu was shot over 12 times.

He said, “He (Idowu) is my nephew and he is a bus driver. His mother died last month. We had just buried his mother when we heard that he was shot after closing from work. He had a surgical operation and seven bullets have been extracted from his body, including his head.

“We are transferring him to Osun State where he will receive further treatment.”

Meanwhile, residents have urged the state police command to beef up security as violence had resurfaced in the area.

The residents are calling on the Lagos State police command to return the armoured tanks which were stationed here before.

The police has launched a manhunt against the perpetrators of the mayhem and vowed to arrest them. Several youths also sustained injuries in Somolu area of the state on Saturday after hoodlums clashed at a naming ceremony in Akanni Street.

A resident, Mattew Okeke, a trader in the area said the OPC men tried to stop the fight until men of the Rapid Response Squad stormed the place and the boys disappeared.