Lekki Communal clash: Police restores calm

• rescues 2 day old baby

By Lanre Adesanya

The Lagos State Police Command wades into a supremacy dispute amidst the two communities in Otodogbami area of Ikate, Lekki Phase 1, restoring calm and rescuing a two-day old baby in the process.

It was alleged that the deadly clash was fueled by the desperation over  supremacy of the area between the Egun speaking community; mostly indigenes of Benin Republic and the Yoruba speaking community which resulted in serious fighting and burning of houses.

When contacted, Public Relation Officer of the State Command of the Nigerian Police, Dolapo Badmos confirmed the clash, stressing that the police immediately waded into the matter to prevent further breakdown of law and order.

Commenting on what transpired, she said, “There is an Egun community mainly made up of people from Republic of Benin. They actually occupy illegal shanties. We were alerted about the breakdown of law and order in the area and immediately went to check Otodogbami community, Ikate Lekki Phase 1, where there is a fight between the Benin- Yoruba communities over territory supremacy.

“It’s an illegal settlement area, most of the structures there are shanties and because of a protracted dispute between themselves, they set fire on their different shanties. The Police moved into the area to restore peace and in the process of checking the area, we discovered that there was a woman who was trapped in one of the shanties with a two-day old baby who would have been burnt in the process,” she said.

She added that the State Government has taken over the area while the State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development would move in to demolish the remaining shanties and clear the rubbles caused by the inferno.

“The Police is alive to its responsibility of ensuring the safety of lives and property of its citizenry and would not hesitate to carry out the necessary action where the need arises,” she said.

Badmos also appealed to both factions in the community to remain lawful and shun acts of violence that could trigger civil unrest.