The police said they are interrogating five persons over their involvement in a violent clash that occurred last week between suspected hoodlums residing on Onola and Okepopo streets on the Lagos Island.
The two groups, alleged to be cultists and factional members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in charge of the numerous commercial motor parks in the area, are known as Okepopo boys and Onola boys. They have gained notoriety on the Lagos Island of engaging each other in violent clashes, many of which had claimed lives.
Daily Trust learnt that the renewed hostility between the two rival groups started on August 19, 2018 over the murder of one Oluwasegun Samuel, a member of the Okepopo boys.
It was learnt that the Okepopo boys believed it was the Onola boys that had killed their colleague.
The police said the suspects employed guns and cutlasses at yesterday’s clash before a team of operatives from the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) arrived to dispersed them by firing tear gas canisters.
One of those arrested was identified as 25-year- old Temitope Ikumoluyi, who claimed to be a 300-level Mass Communication student drop-out of North American University, Benin Republic.
Ikumoluyi, who admitted to being a member of the Onola boys, told the police, “The whole thing started in form of a street fight but assumed another dimension when guns were introduced. It is between Okepopo and Onola boys. I am a member of Onola boys. It was a union (NURTW) fight. The Onola boys killed one Okepopo boy. I have guns and cutlass. A friend of ours has charms.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Imohinmi Edgal, who confirmed the arrest, said other suspects in police custody undergoing interrogation included John Atie Wiliam, Ismail Abdulkarrem and Sodiq Musiliu.
Edgal said, “When those arrested were searched, six live cartridges, two wraps of weeds suspected to be Indian hemp and assorted charms were recovered from them.
“During interrogation, they confessed to be members of Eiye Confraternity. Their mission on that fateful day was to attack members of Aiye Confraternity as a revenge for the killing of their member, Oluwasegun Samuel, who was murdered by members of the aforementioned rival cult group. They have given the police a list of their members and promised to lead the operatives in their arrests,” he said.
