Evicted residents Of Otodo-Gbame, Lekki protested at the Lagos State
Secretariat, Wednesday. The waterfront community which is currently in
the grip of inter-ethnic conflict, erupted in violence last week when
hoodlums and policemen reportedly torched houses belonging to the Egun
people, with whom the Yoruba have been at daggers drawn.
They reportedly brought in an excavator in the middle of the night,
chased people away from their homes before demolishing the houses and
setting them ablaze.This was done after the residents got a court
injunction restricting the Lagos State Government or anybody from
demolishing any waterfront community.
Youth leader in Otodo-Gbame, Mr Ahisu Celestine told Sahara Reporters
that a woman identified as Ajoke Adebayo, owner of Children
International School, was the one that brought in the mobile policemen
to the community.
"The mobile policemen were hired by Mrs Ajoke Adebayo to guard the gate
of her school because it is close to the community. They came into the
community when they noticed that police officers from Jakande/IIasan
Police station were not on ground. They don't have any business here
than o protect the woman's property. Why are they in our community
burning people's houses?"
Residents of the community have nowhere else to go and maintained that
the Egun people would resist any attempt to displace them from the
century-old community, Celestine added
