Ilaje/Ajah communal clash: One feared dead, houses destroyed

Baale in handcuff, detained by police
At least, one man was killed and several houses razed in a communal clash between the Ilaje and Ajah communities in Ajah area of Lagos Island Thursday.
An eye witness told Saturday Vanguard that the fracas broke out as a result of payment of dues by Keke Marwa Operators by the Ilaje Community without regards to the interest of Ajah community.
Baale of Ajah, Chief Murziqu Ojupon of Ajah was whisked away by the Police in handcuffs Thursday in a circumstance that raised tension in the area. According to our source, the chairman of the Eti-Osa East LCDA, Alhaji Owolabi Isa invited the Baale along with five other eminent members of the community to Area J, Ajah command, but on reaching the venue for the purported peace talk between Ajah and Ilaje community, the Baale was molested and arrested by the police.
When Saturday Vanguard called Baale Murziqu on phone, he told the reporter that he was being driven to Panti, Area Commad in Yaba. A few minutes after, his phone was switched off. All attempt to speak with the PPRO proved abortive.
Our source added that a couple of weeks ago, the matter was deemed to have been settled after Alhaji Owolabi brokered a peace meeting with members of the two communities, where both communities were said to have entered into a peace agreement.
We gathered that one person was killed Wednesday night while fleeing the combat zone with several houses in both communities vandalised and destroyed. But another source denied that no live was lost. He however confirmed that guns and cutlasses were freely used by the combatants, who were mostly youths from both sides to the conflict.
As at press time normalcy was said to have returned as armed policemen had been deployed to the area to restore peace and order.