Ladipo Market, the biggest auto spare parts
market in Lagos State, located in the Mushin
area of the state, has been turned into a
battle zone after some hoodlums unleashed
mayhem on traders and customers.
No fewer than three people were said to be
injured, while no fewer than 12 vehicles
parked by the roadside were reportedly
vandalised by the rampaging thugs who
invaded the market on Wednesday.
PUNCH Me tro learnt that the gangs also
hauled pebbles and bottles into the market
and as traders fled their shops, they carted
away their goods and emptied their safes.
An eyewitness, who identified himself simply
as Emma, said the chaos began around 6pm
on Wednesday.
It was said to have lasted till around 7pm
after some soldiers intervened.
Emma said, “I came to the market to repair
my car. But suddenly the guys entered the
market and started throwing stones and
bottles at everybody.
“They vandalised vehicles parked by the
roadside. They also injured several people.
The whole market was in commotion and we
all ran for dear life.”
When PUNCH Metro visited the market on
Thursday, he saw splinters of shattered
windscreens, though the damaged vehicles
were no longer there.
The road was littered with broken bottles.
There was still palpable tension in the market
as a group of men marched on the road.
Three of the men held canes and flogged
motorcycle riders and motorists, while some
others harassed traders for fees.
Those who argued or resisted the men were
flogged.
Investigations by PUNCH Metro showed that
the chaos in the market was caused by the
ticketing fees being collected from traders by
touts working for the Ladipo Auto Central
Executive Committee, LASEC.
A source told our correspondent that the new
leader of LASEC, Kingsley Ogunor, aka Uncle
Sege, was having a running battle with the
immediate past leader of the union, one
Obosi.
He said, “Obosi was the former leader of
LASEC. But after the election, Uncle Sege
replaced him as the new leader of the market.
“But Obosi’s boys, who collect money from
traders, refused to vacate their posts at the
end of the election.
“They did not leave the market for Uncle
Sege’s boys because of the money they were
making from ticketing.
“So, Uncle Sege’s boys said if they don’t want
to leave, they must be paying N20, 000 on a
daily basis, but they refused and that was the
genesis of the fight.”
However, another source said Obosi and
Uncle Sege had resolved their differences, but
were being challenged by one Monday Ijoba,
who had taken over the ticketing in the
market immediately Obosi left the seat.
Monday Ijoba was said to be the leader of a
group from the Cemetery section of the
market.
“Monday Ijoba is the leader of Cemetery boys.
After Obosi left the seat, Ijoba sent his boys
to be collecting money from four different
parts of the market.
“Obosi and Uncle Sege, after reconciling their
differences, confronted him and asked him to
stop his illegal ticketing. The parties agreed to
a truce last week after they had been fighting
for more than a month.
“But just suddenly, they began their fight
yesterday (Wednesday) and nobody knew
why,” he said.
A trader, Johnson Bombay, who claimed to be
injured during the fracas, said he counted 12
vehicles that were damaged and three men
that were injured.
He said, “You can see my leg where I also
sustained injuries. Those I saw that were
seriously injured were three, aside those who
were hit by bottles.”
A trader, Mrs. Odika Chinelu, told PUNCH
Metro she sighted a man whose finger was cut
off during the mayhem.
She said, “The man was cut with matchete in
the head; he was covered in blood.
“One of his fingers was cut off. Four people
took him to the hospital.
“If you were here when the fight broke out,
you will never want to enter Ladipo Market
again in your life.
“One of my friends, who hawks in the market,
said the hoodlums attacked her and almost
took her money.”
The Lagos State command’s Police Public
Relations Officer, Kenneth Nwosu, had yet to
reply to a text message sent to his phone as
of the time of filing this report.
http://www.punchng.com/metro-plus/ladipo-market-boils-as-thugs-attack-traders/

Na ladipo fine like this, Abeg fashola come intervene