There was pandemonium and confusion at the Ogijo area of Ikorodu a border town between Lagos and Ogun state on when soldiers stormed the police station in the area to burn it down in protest of their colleague who was reportedly stabbed to death by policemen attached to the station.
Residents and business owners scampered for safety for fear of being attacked or caught up in the pandemonium.
It was gathered that the policemen stabbed the soldier to death and during a reprisal, property including vehicles, and a police station, among others, were burnt.
The police officer, who was popularly called ‘Mopol’ by residents, was said to have shot the soldiers after the disagreement degenerated with both law enforcement officers threatening to kill each other.
While the altercation intensified, the policeman was said to have reached for his service pistol and shot the soldier.
Angered by the incident, colleagues of the slain soldier mobilised and unleashed mayhem on the community.
The soldiers in retaliation, launched an attack on Ogijo Police station where the mobile police officer was deployed by the Ogun Police Command.
The soldiers during the reprisal attack destroyed property; including a police armoured tank and police patrol vehicles.
A resident of the area who simply identified himself as Sam told pressmen on the telephone that trouble started when a policeman allegedly killed a soldier.
He said the slain soldier’s colleagues mobilized and attacked the Ogijo police station.
Commenting on the incident in a post on Twitter, an eyewitness, Rofiat, Alhameed, said the unrest made a lot of commuters stranded as there were no vehicles to convey them to their destinations, adding that she trekked from Odogunyan to the Ogijo area.
Using her handle, @Fee_arh, she wrote, “I had to trek from Odogunyan to Ogijo today running from one place to another trying to avoid soldiers beating passersby and those driving between Odogunyan to Ogijo after a soldier was allegedly killed by area boys while some claimed a MOPOL stabbed the soldier in Ikorodu.”
A vehicle that was set ablaze was seen in the video clip attached to Alhameed’s post.
Also commenting on the development in a post on Twitter, a lady identified simply as Fisayo, using her handle, @This_Fisayo, urged people to be cautious while plying the Ogijo area to their destinations.
The post read, “If you’re going towards Ikorodu first gate down to Ogijo precisely, please stay safe; heard they killed a soldier this evening and they’ve been fighting.”
However, contrary to insinuations that the incident happened in Lagos State, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, in a tweet, clarified that the incident happened in Ogun State.
The tweet read, “There are stories making the rounds that riots have broken out in Odonguyan, Ikorodu. We wish to clarify that the unrest is at Ogijo, Ogun State, though very close to Ikorodu, Lagos. Our officers are on the alert and would not allow any breakdown of law and order within Lagos State.”
