“One million boys attack on Igando , Ikotun  residents, false”

... police responded like never before, residents

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

The social and regular media were set agog on Thursday 17, and Friday 18, April, reeling their various accounts of  how the one million boys wrecked havoc along the Igando, Ikotun, Isheri and Egbeda roads last thursday afternoon.

According to an eye witness account, between 12 noon and 1:00pm that fateful Thursday most streets within Igando, Ikotun and Idimu areas, down to Egbeda were deserted as only the men in those areas, armed with matchets, clubs and broken bottles strategically positioned themselves waiting  for the allegedly marauding one million boys.

A bread seller on Governor road, Ikotun, who has her shop close to the  abattoir at the popular Odo Eran market said  they heard the one million boys were at Lanre bus stop, close to Hotel bus stop on the Igando – Isheri road, as such, every one headed home for safety.

Speaking also, an auto-mechanic in the area, Akinsoye narrated his version, as he claimed to have witnessed the onslaught.

“The butcher’s and artisans around the Odo -Eran meat market heard that the one million boys were approaching, surging from Igando to Lanre(refuse dump site) they mobilized and went after them, on sighting the butchers, they retreated  and scurried to safety to various directions, greater number of them went towards Ayobo.

“I think when they saw the kind of matchets brandished by the butchers, residents and the artisans that came after them also, they were startled, as they scampered for safety, I learnt they also have some girls among them, they were between the ages of 14, 16 and 18 years of age,” according to Akinsoye.

He went further to say, “For over eight years of my stay here, yesterday was my first time of seeing Ikotun Police Division responding to an emergency promptly, within ten minutes they were called,  they responded along with the OP MESA military team and the SARS.

OP MESA team on patrol at Igando – Egbeda road

“I learnt there is  a new DPO at the Ikotun police station may be that was the reason they responded as promptly as they did,” he said.

A meat seller at the abattoir, Deji, said there was no iota of truth in all the story making round about one million boys coming close to the area on Thursday. He decried the continuous peddling of rumour and spreading of false alarm, which he said aggravates the tension and worry in some families on what to eat especially to their children.

“It’s so annoying that Lagosians would be making up fake news borne out of speculation and apprehension. I saw how people were running halter-skelter Thursday, we thought there was problem , but the unfortunate thing was that from right and left they were running to and from, claiming there was danger at their backs.

“The same thing happened in my area around Igando, they said  the boys were coming the other day, and we all kept vigil waited for them, but could not see them.

“I have been longing to set my eyes on those boys since I started hearing of their existence in this Lagos. I want to see them and see what they look like. As for coming close to this Odo -Eran market, they would not dare try it. If they do, not less then 30 would die unpleasantly.

” My brother, don’t mind the fake news about them, people are exaggerating their presence and power, let them try and come out this time people are idling away in their various homes looking for what to do. They can’t try to move around in the day even if they are two million even at nights still, ‘they wan die?’ Lagosians are ready to stay awake at nights and sleep in the day time to make sure they slug it out with them.

At Igando, one Mojid a commercial motorcycle rider (okada) said they did not see the boys anywhere around the area as was speculated, he said everyone has his or her own version to give, whereas some said they were coming through Iba, some said they were coming from Isheri through Ikotun to Igando.

“I was around this Igando on Thursday, there was nothing like one million boys that came around here, that is all I can say,” Mojid rebuffed.

At Lanre bus stop  beside the refuse dump on Igando road, a rod dealer at the popular rod market in the area Sulaiman Adisa laughed hilarious when nation update sought his view concerning the reign of terror said to have been mated  out to people in the area by one million boys on Thursday.

He was very swift to respond that there was nothing like that on the day in question, maintained that if they dare try it, greater number of them would meet  a sticky end.

“My brother God bless you people for carrying out this investigation, so that the masses could know the reality. Imagine my wife also called me that day from Abule Odu, Egbeda, in fear that she heard one million boys were operating at Lanre, I told her unless its yet to happen she said the information they had was that they were here already, that was around 1:00pm.

“I told her also  that  news around  here was that  they were in Egbeda area, that they came from Gowon  Estate, she said there was nothing  like that  but residents laying in wait for them, but what keeps surprising me is the possibility of seeing such number as one million pass through this road.”

He appealed to Lagosians to show some restraints in the way and manner they paddle rumours to avoid a repeat of the Oke- Afa stampede of 2002 that took many lives.

” however, police did marvelously well that day, including the army,they really impressed us. If they would continue to respond like this we would not have reason to worry during emergencies. They patrolled from Igando, down to here (Lanre), Ikotun, Isheri and Egbeda.

“That does not mean that the so called hoodlums do not exist, I think they operate from the fringes of the city but not under this present atmosphere and circumstance. Don’t they have blood running in them? They dare not try it, because Lagosians  would roast them alive.

However, a police officer at the police checkpoint at Lanre bus stop beside the waste being  recycling plant who spoke to nation update said  all was rumour. He said they  were there, well armed, that they  were surprise when calls started flying, and within a short time reinforcement came, since the road was free, it never took time, but all seems to be false alarm.

Nation update crew that moved through Egbeda to Isheri down to Ikotun  on that fateful day however observed that most of the checkpoints were not manned by security personnel , a situation the officer said was as a result of the scorching sun, that all the officers were in the shades all around their various beats.

Calls put across to the cell phone of the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO), DSP Bala Elkana did not go through as at the time of this publication.

It would be recalled that in the heels of the mountain tension over alleged threats of mayhem by the one million boys, the Lagos state police command issued a notice, warned Lagosians  against peddling false rumour.

IGP Adamu

To this end, the Inspector –General of Police, Adamu Muhammed has swiftly responded to the alarm, he has ordered the immediate deployment of additional intelligence and operational assets of the force comprising police Mobile Force, Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Intelligence Response Unit, and the Special Tactical Squad to Lagos and Ogun states.

This he did to strengthen security and reinforce public confidence in the affected areas. He has also assigned a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) to coordinate the operation and ordered Commissioners of Police across the country to immediately rejig the security architecture in their various commands to effectively tackle all emerging crimes following the lockdown that have devastated  many especially daily income earners.