JUST IN: Police speak on Lagos violence

The police on Sunday said the violence that broke out at Ile-Epo Bus Stop, Lagos, did not end in casualties.

Lagos police spokesperson, Bala Elkanah, said in a statement to PREMIUM TMES that the fracas was between Hausa scavengers and Awawa ‘cult boys’.

The violence “almost snowballed into crisis,” the police said. But “our timely intervention brought the situation under control and stopped the crisis from escalating.”

“Normalcy has since been restored. Patrols are ongoing in the affected areas. No casualty figure available yet. We are investigating the cause of the fight,” the police added.

It was unclear what led to the violence, but witnesses said it forced market women at the bus stop to abandon their goods for safety. Several commuters were also caught in the violence and scampered for safety.

Pictures circulated showed scattered pepper, tomatoes and other food items scattered on the road at Ile-Epo Bus Stop, which is near Abule Egba, a major intersection along Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

A picture was also circulated on social media showing a young man covered in blood after being severely injured. The identity of the man was not immediately clear.

PREMIUM TIMES has not independently verified the authenticity of the pictures being circulated online in connection to the crisis.