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Violence broke out in the Alaba Rago area of Iba, Lagos State due to a clash between road transport workers, known as agberos, and supporters of a local monarch.
The confrontation, which reportedly started early Sunday morning, resulted in the death of an unidentified passenger who was struck by a fast-moving vehicle.
Eyewitness accounts shared with Rocketparrot News journalist who visited the scene indicate that the conflict arose from the recent opening of a motor park, which the monarch had supposedly built for vehicles heading to northern and eastern Nigeria.
A resident, who goes by the name Shola, stated, “The monarch established a park at the Alaba Market side of the road, unveiled on Saturday for vehicles traveling to the North and East.”
The resident continued, “However, the road transport workers were dissatisfied with this development. Even the CP (Commissioner of Police) was present.
There was a dispute over the park between the monarch and some agberos, which ultimately led to the chaos.”
According to locals, the agberos viewed the new park as a threat to their current practice of collecting fees from drivers in the area.
Tensions heightened when supporters of the monarch clashed with transport workers on Sunday morning.
Another resident, Abbey, recounted, “During the pursuit and fighting, a passenger attempting to cross the road near the new park was struck and killed instantly by a speeding vehicle.”
Video showed the victim's lifeless body in a pool of blood, while another showed residents covering the body with a wrapper to protect it from onlookers.
In response to the clash, Benjamin Hundeyin, the spokesperson for the Lagos State Police Command, confirmed that measures were being taken to de-escalate the situation and establish peace between the conflicting groups.
“The CP conducted an on-the-spot assessment yesterday,” the spokesperson noted.
“He also convened meetings with all parties today (Monday) at the command headquarters in Ikeja to seek a lasting solution to the issue,” Hundeyin added.
The incident on Sunday adds to the increasing number of violent altercations involving road transport workers and union members throughout Lagos and neighboring states.
In late 2023, a similar clash between commercial motorcyclists and agberos in Ogun State's Akute and Alagbole areas reportedly led to multiple deaths.
