LAGOS – The residents of Gaskiya Road in Ijora Badiya area on Thursday appealed to the Lagos State Government to retain the policemen who quelled the crisis that led to the death one person.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) withdrawing the policemen would enable hoodlums to [pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]continue with the clashes.
NAN reports that the operators of commercial tricycle, called “Keke Marwa’’ in local parlance, had been embroiled in a leadership tussle which residents said had claimed five lives.
But the police confirmed to NAN that only one person was killed in the two-day fracas between factions of the commercial tricycle operators.
A resident of the area, popularly known as Alhaji, said that the presence of the policemen was the reason why the hoodlums had held their peace.
“We are appealing to the government that the police should not be withdrawn.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”10″]
“The presence of the policemen is why the hoodlums are all hiding now.
[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”8″]
“We hope to have the policemen stationed for a time long enough for the peace of the area to be maintained,’’ he said.
A woman, who pleaded anonymity, urged the policemen to increase their surveillance to enable them to dislodge the hoodlums from their hide outs.
“The policemen should be stationed in the area for a month at least to further calm the situation because we do not know what will happen if the policemen are withdrawn.
“We appeal to the police authorities to also increase their patrols to enable them to discover some of the hiding places of the hoodlums,’’ she said.
A policeman, who pleaded anonymity, confirmed that normalcy had return to the area after a day of fighting and the residents were going about their daily businesses peacefully.
“We are still very much on ground to keep the peace of the area.
“More of our men are still coming and there are many policemen in strategic places.
“We are ready for whatever the hoodlums in the area have to offer, but presently, the situation is very calm,’’ he said.
He added that the policemen stationed there conducted routine patrols at all times. (NAN)
