Thugs clash, rob residents in Ketu

Members  of rival cult groups clashed in Ketu, Lagos on Saturday and Sunday, vandalising vehicles and robbing residents in the process. PUNCH Metro learnt that the clash was due to a long-standing feud between the Eiye Confraternity and another gang known as KK.
It was learnt that a fight broke out in the area during the New Year carnival known as Westside Carnival in which two members of the KK gang were killed.
“On Friday, the members of the two gangs engaged in a free-for-all, attacking one another with guns, machetes and other dangerous weapons around Taike Street. Two members of the KK gang were killed in the process. On Saturday night, the KK boys came for revenge at Cele Bus Stop which is Eiye’s territory. The KK guys said they must kill two people as well,” a source said.
Our correspondent learnt that innocent people were not spared in the process as some of them were assaulted by the thugs.
A victim who craved anonymity said, “Around 11pm, I was in a commercial bus when some thugs accosted us. They ordered us out and collected all our valuables and slapped some of us.
“They stole my phone but when I got home, I called policemen at Ketu Station but they did not come on time. They came about three hours later, at exactly 2am and chased the thugs away.”
It was learnt that around 5:30am, another fight started again, lasting about two hours until a team of policemen dispersed them.
Our correspondent, who visited the area on Sunday, learnt that Aladelola, Jimoh Balogun, Love All and Sonaike streets were the most affected.
It was observed that at least seven shops were vandalised while pieces of broken glasses littered the roads.
On Aladelola Street, about three cars and two tricycles had broken windscreens.
A shop owner, Yakubu Aremu, lamented that he had just moved into the area and did not have money to repair the shop.
“I just moved into the shop and I will open for business on Monday (today). I’ve spent all I have on rent and buying goods. Now these hoodlums have vandalised my shop. I will need at least N15, 000 to repair the broken glass,” he said.
Residents lamented that Cele Bus Stop was fast becoming a hotbed for criminals and regretted that the police were helpless.
A congregant of Redeemed Christian Church of God, New Heaven Parish, said it had become normal for hoodlums to cause mayhem in the area.
“When we were renovating our church, the hoodlums were coming to disturb us for money they called ‘Owo Ile’. The hoodlums extort money from the residents most of the time and I think it’s time the police authorities looked into the matter,” a member of the church who declined to give his name said.
A landlord in the area, who also craved anonymity, said it had become necessary for the police to deploy men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in the area to address the situation.
When contacted on the telephone, the spokesperson for the state police command, Ngozi Braide, said she would call back,  but had not as at press time.