Post-election attacks on Igbo businesses in Lagos ground parts of metropolis
…Afenifere, Ohaneze condemn act, LASG mute
Since Monday this week, there had been confirmed reports of attacks on business centres and interests of Nigerians from the east in Lagos by indigenous hoodlums whose anger centred on Igbos voted for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) instead of All Progressive Congress (APC).
During the attacks, Igbos were chased away from their shops and not allowed to open their businesses around Oshodi and environs.
However, whereas the State Government is yet to make any form of comment either to condemn or otherwise, both Ohaneze Ndigbo and Afenifere, the top socioeconomic bodies for South East and South West respectively, condemned the attacks on Ndigbo in Lagos.
Investigations showed that trouble started during Saturday during the election when the indigenous miscreants were forcing Igbos to vote for the APC or leave the state.
The trouble continued Sunday and went bizarre Monday morning and afternoon.
In a statement issued in Lagos by the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Yinka Odunmakin, he averred that “Afenifere condemns in the strongest terms the political violence visited on Nigerians of Ndigbo extraction in Lagos during the Saturday Presidential elections”.
He noted that dirty political merchants and their band of thugs apart from engineering political disenfranchisement of Ndigbo, went ahead to visit violence on them and burning their votes en masse.
Odumakin recalled that “The political vandals they used were said to have been calling themselves OPC but our checks with the genuine leaders of the group have shown that the deranged elements had no affiliation with the OPC known by Afenifere”.
“We frown seriously at the failure of the security agencies to give adequate cover to Ndigbo in the affected communities as these thugs went berserk carrying out the instructions of their sinking political godfathers.
“We want to assure our Igbo Brothers and Sisters that the bond of friendship the Afenifere and Ohanaeze Ndigbo have built particularly under the dynamic leadership of Chief John Nwodo remains strong and will not be broken by the nefarious activities of a few strange children in our midst.
“We are already in discussions with Ndigbo leadership on the matter and we appeal for calm as these political vandals are only engaged in death kicks.
We call on the security agencies to give adequate security covers to Ndigbo in subsequent elections as we encourage them not to succumb to intimidation and harassment by political vampires.
“Our historical connectivity with Ndigbo will survive the Saturday madness and the perpetrators will be shamed eternally,” Afenifere averred.
However, the Lagos State Police Command’s Spokesperson, CSP Chike Oti issued a statement, saying the police has intensified patrols and surveillance to allay the fears of members of the public.
Oti noted that “Attention of the Lagos State Police Command has been drawn to the news on the internet to the effect that a group of boys popularly called the ‘Area boys’ are attacking Igbo traders at Oshodi, preventing them from opening their shops.
“The command wishes to debunk the rumour in its entirety as nothing could be further from the truth.
“Although the command received distress calls from concerned Nigerians whose apprehensions were understandably heightened by disturbing rumours emanating from some social media platforms.
“The command swiftly and massively deployed its personnel drawn from various units to Oshodi and environs to assuage the feelings of residents,’’ Oti claimed
