The fight broke out in the market situated in the area on Wednesday night and continued till Thursday morning.
According to reports, the clash ensued over quest for superiority by rival gangs in the area. Some shops in the popular Ile-Epo market was set on fire and goods were destroyed.
The hoodlums were also said to have resisted an intervention by the police.
They also prevented a fire service truck which arrived at the market this morning from dousing the fire as they attacked it with stones.
According to eyewitnesses, the skirmish escalated quickly, with groups setting ablaze multiple storefronts. “It was chaos. Flames were everywhere, and all you could hear were screams and the shattering of glass,” said one of the vendor at the market, who preferred to remain anonymous for safety reasons.
Police efforts to quell the unrest were met with resistance. “Our team was dispatched promptly, but the intensity of the mob and their hostility hampered our intervention efforts,” a Lagos State Police spokesperson stated. The police were investigating the cause of the fight and have vowed to restore order.
Additionally, emergency services faced severe impediments. A Lagos State Fire Service truck was forced to retreat after a hostile crowd attacked it with stones. “We attempted to access the scene to douse the flames, but it became too dangerous to proceed,” explained a firefighter at the scene.
Authorities were currently assessing the extent of the damage and have promised to increase security in the area to prevent further escalation. The market remains closed until further notice as cleanup and investigations continue.
I heard that people were injured after hoodlums clashed in the Ile-Epo area market of Lagos State. They also set the market on fire this morning and many shops own by Igbo and Hausa people are burnt to ashes. I can’t believe this is not a plan just to destroy Igbo and Hausa… pic.twitter.com/bADXNZUQ4G
— Maibitil Mni. (@Maibitil_) May 2, 2024