Armed Youths Bring Destruction to Eti-Osa, Lagos

The irate youths from Igokusu, who were armed with broken bottles, knives, stones, sticks and cutlasses, stabbed the occupants of the flat who were held hostage for some time and also robbed of valuable items.

No fewer than 15 armed youths from Igbokusu community in Eti-Osa Local Government, Lagos State, went on the rampage on October 6, 2013, Sunday, at 3, Delano Conde Street, near the upscale NICON Town, attacking all the occupants of the flat.

According to P.M.NEWS report, it all started from a small argument that grew into a vicious attack that left the victims severely injured and several property destroyed.

"My friend and flat mate, Michael Joshua, had an argument with two young men passing in front of our house. The exchange of words led to fisticuffs. One of them put a call across to some people and before we knew it several boys from the Igbokusu community arrived the scene of the argument with crates of empty bottles, stones, sticks, knives and cutlasses," one of the victims, Moses Osho said.

"We sensed danger and ran inside our flat and locked the burglary proof at the main entrance. But to our dismay the rampaging boys kept pelting the building with broken bottles, stones and practically all they could lay their hands on and they eventually pulled down the burglary proof before they gained entry into our flat," the victim added.

When the youths entered the apartment, they damaged household items and stabbed Moses Osho, Michael Joshua and Moses Attah.

"At about 3.45 p.m. on Sunday afternoon an Area Boy from Igbokusu Village came to our area threatening to break my car's head lamp, while I was trying to park in front of my apartment. Then I noticed that two other Area Boys were heavily drunk. They had bottles in their hands and pointing them at my head lamp. I came out of the car and told them I will get them arrested and one of them said don't I know him in this village? That nobody can arrest him, that they will kill me," another victim, Joshua, narrated.

"All of a sudden, he held me by my shirt and started hitting me. I was furious and retaliated by hitting him back. He brought out his phone and made calls to some of his gang members. He then brought out a bottle and smashed it on the floor, and stabbed me and my colleague three times. My colleague ran into the house and locked the door while trying to prevent us from further harm.

"But the next thing I heard was that they should break the door. So they broke into the house, damaged lots of our properties and also stole Blackberry and Nokia phones. They also made away with about N300,800. They damaged the A/C, Plasma TV, and Ceiling Board, and escaped before the police came. It was Moses Osho who ran to the police station," Joshua said.

Their leader was said to be a cousin to one of the councillors in Eti-Osa Local Government.

The incident was reported at the Ilasan Police Station, but before the police team arrived the scene, the attackers had fled. Efforts to reach the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Ilasan, in order to find out more details of the investigation proved abortive at the time of writing the article.