Funke Busari, Lagos
A traditional ruler, Oba Abdulrasheed Makinde, of Onamuwagun, Ile-Ife, Osun State has been caught in the violence that greeted the Iyana Iba/Alaba Rago and Ojo areas of Lagos State.
The monarch in a telephone interview with CASEFILE gave an account of how his paraphernalia of office were carted away following the vandalism on his vehicle during the incident.
The monarch who is a younger brother to a former Nigerian lawmaker, Rotimi Makinde said that his car was parked in front of the institution when the crisis erupted around 10:00a.m.
He explained that though he didn’t know the actual time his car was vandalised, but when he got to where his Lexus car with registration number KJA 877 DS was parked, he discovered that his paraphernalia of office had vanished from the car.
According to him, “I parked my car in front of Lagos State University, when I came back that’s how I met my car.
“It wasn’t just my car alone, all the cars parked in front of LASU where all broken and vandalised.”
Narrating further, Oba Makinde said all his valuables in the car were taken away, including his Horsetail-fly-whisk known as Irukere in Yoruba and not leaving his staff.
His words, “My Irukere, my Opa-Itile, my beads, every valuables had been carted away.”
Though he has not made a formal complaint to the Police, he said that in the ensuing confusion he managed to take his car out of the area.
But the Lagos State Police Command through its Spokesperson, CSP. Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the police has restored normalcy to the axis.
According to him, “The Lagos State Police Command has restored normalcy to the Iyana Iba/Alaba Rago and Ojo areas of the state where there was a disagreement between the members of the transport unions, okada units precisely, on the increment in tariff today, Monday 26th April, 2021.
Stating further, “The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered for immediate deployment of additional police personnel to the area to maintain law and order as he also directed the Area Commander, Area E Festac, to personally be on ground to monitor the situation and invite the leaders of the affected Okada riders unit for an urgent meeting.
He added, “The Command wishes to debunk the rumor that the disgreement, not violence as being peddled in the social media, was between some ethnic groups. Without mincing words, the incident has no ethic colouration whatsoever but a mere conflict between transport unions and their okada units on ticketing and increment in tariff.
“The Command therefore enjoins members of the public, especially those around the areas, including the students of the Lagos State University (LASU) Ojo, to go about their lawful businesses and studies respectively, as adequate deployment has been done to fortify security in the axis and by extension, in Lagos State in general.
