ELDERS PREPARE YOUTHS FOR FULL SCALE WAR
Emmanuel Thomas l Tuesday, August 15, 2017
LAGOS ISLAND, Nigeria – Not less than two youths resident on Lagos Island have been killed and six others injured with gunshots as miscreants from Okepopo area unleash mayhem on Lagos Island.
Those injured in the attack are currently on admission in different hospitals on the Island as fear grips residents and traders with many wondering what could be their fate in the next few days.
The dead victims include Small Shakiru shot at Agarawu area on Monday night and another youth whose identity could not be known as at the time of filling this report who was stabbed on the left eye while returning to his house at Onola area last week.
Others with gun wound include a Keke Marwa driver, Saheed Obiripo who was shot at Haffiner, an Igbo trader at Andrew Street who refused to release his bag to the warlords, a woman returning home from her shop on Saturday evening and two other youths, Sunday and Tandor who were believed to be harboring enemies target of the boys from Okepopo area.
Narrating what triggered the incident, an eye witness said one of the Okepopo boys attended a social gathering at Luther area on the Island some weeks back and was stabbed on the neck by another youth from Onola area, which prompted the Okepopo boys to embark on revenge the attack.
“Some few days later, the Okepopo boys started attacking Onola boys but suffered serious casualties because they met harder defense from Onola boys. As a result of this, they re-planned their strategy and started attacking people with locally made guns and used the opportunity to rob.
“The notorious boys now operate at Evans, Massey, Palm-church, Swamp, Apogbe, Olushi, Agarawu, Tom-Jones, Wahab Folawiyo, Nnamdi Azikwe, Alli, Haffner, Onikepo, Obadina, Onola and Aroloya Streets”, he added.
“One boy called Palava is the one that is leading the notorious Okepopo boys with two local guns in his hands while his other members go out with weapons like cutlasses, knives and broken bottles”, he revealed.The eye witness added that Palava is untouchable because he has connection with some frontline politicians in Lagos.
“If he is arrested today, you will see him again the following or the third day. So, he is untouchable but other youths are planning for him especially now that he has killed Small Shakiru on Monday night”.
While fielding questions from crime reporters at the Police officers’ mess, Ikeja during a Press conference, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni reacted that the reported incident that many traders are not opening their shops for fear of the incessant attack was an exaggeration adding that the menace of the notorious youths on the Island “is not anything that is unusual”.
“Police is now using a pro-active measure to curb the activities of the notorious boys, but you people are to be blame because when you parents indulged your children in bad acts and hoard them from being apprehended by the Police, what do you expect to occur. The Police are making efforts to deal with them adequately”.
Meanwhile, elders in some areas, particularly at Agarawu, Onola, Aroloya and others have now empowered their youths with some weapons to combat attacks from any angle. We gathered that youths are now fully prepared for full war should anybody invade their territory.
