Residents and shop owners along LASU Road in the Ojo area of Lagos State were thrown into panic after a group of armed men invaded the area, attacking shops and dispossessing passersby of their valuables.
The development disrupted normal activities, forcing traders to abandon their businesses while commuters and pedestrians fled for safety as the situation escalated.
The incident was reported to have occurred at about 11 a.m. on Friday, affecting the Iyana School and First Gate areas of the community.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers, numbering about 15, were heavily armed with guns and machetes, creating fear as they moved through the area.
A resident, who identified herself simply as Omowunmi, said the attackers appeared suddenly, leaving people with little time to react.
“We did not know where they emerged from; we just saw them all dressed in black and displaying different weapons, including guns and machetes.
“Some of them also wore nose masks. They started from First Gate down towards Iyana School. They were approaching people randomly while people ran for safety,” she said.
Another eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons, disclosed that the gang also broke into several shops, including a supermarket, making away with goods and cash.
“While the robbery and assault were ongoing, some traders quickly locked up their shops, while others abandoned their businesses and ran for safety. They entered some of the shops, including a supermarket, and took away goods and cash,” the source said.
Residents expressed concern that the attackers operated for several minutes without interruption, despite the proximity of a police station to the area.
“First, we were surprised that such an incident was happening in broad daylight. More worrisome is the fact that the operation lasted for several minutes without police intervention.
“A police station is just about three minutes away from where the incident happened, and no officer was in sight while the boys continued robbing,” another resident, Pius Oleme, said.
Oleme added that many business owners have since resumed operations cautiously, amid fears that the gang could return.
A video of the incident shared on X by a user, @ThatOjoBoy, captured one of the attackers wielding a machete while harassing pedestrians and chasing after a commercial bus.
“A lady captured this video yesterday, crying and begging the bus driver to move as armed men with cutlasses and guns stormed Iyana School in broad daylight along LASU Road, Ojo, Lagos,” the user wrote.
Reacting to the incident, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Abimbola Adebisi, said the violence was linked to a clash between rival factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, over control of a bus park in the area.
She explained that although the police intervened to manage the situation, hoodlums took advantage of the unrest to perpetrate criminal acts around the First Gate axis.
“It was the National Union of Road Transport Workers that was fighting. A section wanted to take over the park in the area, while the other section confronted them.
“We were able to take charge of the situation, but hoodlums took advantage at the 1st gate area. One person was arrested and handed over to Command Special Squad 1,” she said.
