Pandemonium broke out, yesterday, at Iju-Ishaga area of Lagos, following a clash between policemen and suspected members of the Oodua People’s Congress, OPC.
Trouble, as gathered, started after some policemen on stop-and-search flagged down the OPC vehicle which was moving towards Agege area for an event.
An eye witness who identified himself as Timothy, said: “The policemen fired tear gas canisters which choked some of the OPC members. Others still managed to flee the scene in their vehicles.
“But some of those affected by the tear gas were arrested and handcuffed at the end of the altercation which lasted about an hour.”
Contacted, spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, Ngozi Braide, said five persons, among them a female were arrested.
Describing the incident as disturbance of public peace, Braide said: “It was a case of disturbance of public peace/ assault on police officers.
“At about 11.30 am, hoodlums numbering over 300 masquerading as OPC members launched an unprovoked attack on policemen on rescue mission and dislodged them.
“Five of them, Paul Adeola, Kemi Ajayi, a female; Sunday Oguniyi, Kazeem Oloyede and one Austin were arrested in two Volkswagen buses with number plates XY 31 GGE; XT 29 FKJ and one Nissan saloon car with number plate DU 721 GGE and an unregistered Toyota Camry car were recovered from them.”
However, when one of the factional leaders of OPC, Otunba Gani Adams was contacted, he said those involved in the rift did not belong to his faction.
According to him, “those who clashed with the police are never our members. Our findings revealed that they are launching a political party called Unity Party at Amao Street in Agege today (yesterday). It was on their way to the place that they clashed with the police.
“We were in Osun Osogbo last week and throughout our stay there, there was no report of any violence.
“We have never clashed with any law enforcement agency. The national leaders of OPC are with me where we are holding the national coordinators’ meeting.”
I can tell you categorically that those who clashed with the police are from the other faction.
“It is unfortunate that at this level of our political history, some people still believe they can lead a group they cannot control. You don’t lead an organization you cannot control. We are law abiding citizens of this country and we would never take laws into our hands.”
In his own response, OPC founder, Dr Frederick Fasheun, said; ” I do not know of any faction in OPC. And the report has not reached me”.
