•Victims blame council boss over attack, call for Ambode’s help
•I never brought thugs against my people, says LCDA secretary
By Job Osazuwa
For Alhaji Bakare Fadahunsi, Thursday, April 28, 2016, would remain an unforgettable day. The auto mechanic escaped death in the hands of hoodlums, who unleashed mayhem on traders and artisans, operating under the power line at Idimu, Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos State.
On that day, the traders, who were protesting the decision of the authorities of the LCDA to build a market in the area, were thoroughly humiliated and violently assaulted by some hoodlums whom they claimed were unleashed on them by the powers that be.
The planned demonstration was not only aborted, it turned into total mayhem. Blood freely flowed during the protest, as the protesters were allegedly assaulted. Some suspected thugs hired from another community, it was gathered, perpetrated the assault. A source said some hoodlums in the area were also part of the violence unleashed on the artisans.
Some of the traders and artisans, who were too scared to lock their containers, quickly fled, leaving their wares at the mercy of street urchins, who capitalised on the situation to loot the abandoned goods.
But Alhaji Bakare Fadahunsi, an automobile mechanic, who owned a shop under the power line, was not so lucky. He couldn’t escape. And the hoodlums pounced on him and battered him mercilessly.
One of the thugs was said to have used a machete to slash Fadahunsi’s head. He told Daily Sun that before they stabbed him, he had been violently battered by the hoodlums. When they saw that he was bleeding heavily and sliding into a coma, they abandoned him to his fate.
Sympathisers quickly rushed him to the Igando General Hospital for treatment.
When the reporter visited the victim at the hospital, he looked weak and traumatised. But he struggled to narrate how the thugs dealt with him.
His words: “I have been working there for the past 20 years. We have been paying dues to the state government on yearly basis. It was the Lagos State government that gave us the go ahead to be using the place. Our local government officials came some weeks ago and said they wanted to extend a market to the area where we have our shops.
“We were surprised, and then we decided to stage a peaceful protest. We gathered today to kick off the protest, then some thugs jumped down from a police van and some of them ran towards me with different weapons. They were holding hammers, machetes, broken bottles, long iron rods and other weapons.
“Five of the young men began to beat me, as if I were an animal. They were punching every part of my body. And later, one of them used the machete to slash my head and they left me there. One also used a broken bottle to injure different parts of my body.
“When the thugs came, people started running, but since I was not holding any weapon or saying anything, I remained where I was. I wanted to run, but something told me that if I began to run, they might suspect I was one of the artisans and begin to pursue me. That thought was going on in my mind when they started beating me.
“They didn’t ask any question. It was obvious that they were acting on the instruction of those that sent them to molest us. We have not started the protest when they began to harass us.
“We are begging the state government to come to our aid. They felt nobody could question their action. That is why they treated us the way they did.”
Another artisan, a carpenter, also got his leg injured by the hoodlums. A resident, who pleaded not to be mentioned, told Daily Sun that he was verbally attacked while he was praying in the mosque. He described the action as a sacrilege.
“Imagine the society we are in. The government that is supposed to be protecting us now uses thugs to oppress the people. I was praying in the mosque when the thugs rushed in and began to harass me. It was by God’s intervention that they didn’t beat me up. The policemen were there while this injustice was going on.
“Why should the local government be interested in erecting permanent structures in the name of a modern market under a power line? It is strange to me. If they are asking us to vacate the power line area, then the government shouldn’t build shops on the same place and begin to give them out for millions of naira,” he said.
The reporter, who was at the scene to cover the planned protest, observed as some heavily built and fierce-looking thugs invaded the area, brandishing assorted weapons. Many people immediately scampered to safety.
It was gathered that the hoodlums were specifically sponsored to disrupt the protest. The thugs, who were seen drinking assorted alcoholic beverages, held everyone to ransom for about two hours, throwing bottles and stones in different directions.
They stormed the area in groups and went straight to the venue of the protest. They pounced on anyone, who attempted to challenge them.
The residents accused the Executive Secretary of the LCDA, Sanyaolu Olowoopejo, of threatening to use force on them if they resisted his decision to turn the area into a modern market.
Trouble actually started in the area when the local government authorities announced plans to build an ultra-modern market on a stretch right under the power line. It was gathered that the news tasted like a very bitter pill for those who have been operating there for years. Their plea to the LCDA to reconsider its plans fell on deaf ears.
Before the plans by the government to build a market there, many members of the community had been occupying the place, doing their businesses as far back as 30 years.
But the Executive Secretary of Egbe-Idimu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Sanyaolu Olowoopejo, told the reporter on the telephone that it would be foolish of him to use thugs on his own people, especially when he had security apparatus at his disposal.
In fact, he said he was interested in investigating those who used machetes and other weapons to injure the protesters. He added that he hated thugs with passion, and would not for any reason hire them. The council boss said the relationship between the community members and himself was quite cordial.
“If I had wanted to use thugs, I wouldn’t have brought in the police to go to the area to ensure that there was no breach of peace in the community. Maybe, different groups in the area have problems among themselves. I don’t like thugs for anything, so why should I invite them to beat up anybody? When things like this happen, anyone who feels offended will be looking for sympathy from the public. I am a peace-loving person and I can never use thugs to intimidate anybody, especially with my level of exposure.
He said though the government needed some level of force to implement some policies, it was not to the extent of molesting the same people the policy was meant to benefit.
“The fact remains that when government takes some decision, it might not go down well with some people. Those people will want to do everything possible to revolt.
“In line with Lagos State government’s resolve to turn the state to a mega city and to boost internally generated revenue, we decided to build decent structures at that place. Power line belongs to the government, not to the people,” Olowoopejo said.
On the aggrieved artisans, he informed the reporter that discussions were ongoing with them to ensure that peace reigned in the community. He reassured them that he meant well for all the indigenes.
He stated: “Any responsible government will not want to create unemployment. That is why I called the executive members of the artisans’ association for discussion on the plans we have for them. I told them they would be the first beneficiaries of the new shops. This is another way for the LCDA to generate more internal revenue.
“We have met with the people, and I can assure you that we are making progress. The fact is that I don’t just need those shanties there anymore. Some of the artisans and traders have agreed to rent the new shops. They are my people. I love them and they love me too. If I should go there now, you will see how the people will be hailing me. I need them now and I will also need them in future.”
The lawyer, representing the artisans, Hafis Olaniyan, told Daily Sun that he was already filing a suit against the LCDA. He said it was unjust for the government to have inflicted injuries on his harmless clients, who were about to exercise their right to protest against government’s decisions that they were not comfortable with.
He argued that the LCDA had no right to erect permanent structures under a power line. He said the space belongs to the Federal Government and cannot be hijacked by the local government.
He urged the aggrieved people to be calm and law-abiding, assuring them that justice would prevail at the end of the day.
When the reporter visited the site, apart from the shops already erected, a new foundation was being laid for more shops.