Five killed, eight injured as armed youths assault Lagos waterfront neighborhood

Residents of Sogunro neighborhood in Lagos State have been thrown into panic following an alleged assault by armed youths from neighbouring Iwaya neighborhood, which reportedly left 5 individuals useless and eight others injured.

The Coalition Against Demolition, Forced Eviction, Landgrabbing and Displacement in Lagos State raised the alarm in a press release on Friday, demanding the instant arrest and prosecution of these behind the killings.

The coalition alleged that the violence occurred round midnight between November 1 and a couple of after some youths from Iwaya invaded Sogunro over residents’ refusal to supply cash for a celebration.

According to the group, the assailants stormed the neighborhood with firearms, axes and different harmful weapons, killing no less than 5 individuals and leaving eight others with accidents that required hospital remedy.

It additional alleged that the attackers used completely different strategies to kill their victims, together with capturing and hacking them with axes. One of the victims was reportedly struck on the neck with an axe, whereas no less than one corpse was allegedly thrown right into a canal.

The coalition additionally accused the attackers of destroying and looting worthwhile properties in the course of the raid.

Expressing concern over the incident, the group faulted the alleged failure to arrest these accountable, regardless of the reported deaths and the size of destruction.

It mentioned the assault had created worry amongst residents, forcing some individuals dwelling near the boundary between the 2 communities to desert their houses.

According to the coalition, a few of these displaced by the violence have taken refuge in boats and the houses of neighbours alongside the waterfront to keep away from attainable additional assaults.

The group referred to as on the police to launch a right away investigation, apprehend these concerned and guarantee their prosecution, whereas demanding satisfactory safety to forestall one other outbreak of violence.

Efforts to acquire the response of the Lagos State Police Command have been unsuccessful as of the time of submitting this report. The command’s spokesperson, Abimbola Adebisi, had but to reply to a message despatched to her.