At least 20 shops, three homes and many care have been destroyed in Ibadan after members of rival gangs clashed in three areas of the city.

Witnesses said the clashes began Sunday night and continued on Monday evening in Isale-Osi, Born Photo and Gidarami areas of the city.

No death has resulted from the clashes so far.

The clashes came after one gang leader was alleged to have been killed by members of a rival group at a party last week.

Many residents have fled the area as the gang members began bringing in deadly weapons.

Witness accounts speak of many of those in clashes getting machete injuries and stab wounds from knives and broken bottles.

“The gangs are from Popoyemoja and Born Photo area in Ibadan. One of the leaders of the gang was killed last week at a party. The members alleged that their leader was killed by a rival group and the planned to avenge his death. They came in the night on Sunday but it was not a serious fight,”said a witness who preferred anonymity.

“But on Monday, they returned and fight broke out between the two groups. They started burning shops and destroying vehicles and houses. They used guns, knives machete, broken bottles and other dangerous objects in the fight. Several members of the gangs were injured. We have to flee the area for fear of being caught up in the fight. They targeted any house where any of the rival cult group is living in. My sister’s shop was burnt with goods worth thousands of naira destroyed. As they unleash mayhem, they were singing war songs.”

He added that even when the targeted gang members had ran away from the areas, the hoodlums refused to leave, targeting relatives of their perceived enemies. A member of Oyo State House of Assembly, Kehinde Subair, was said to have earlier visited the scene of the fracas.

The Oyo State Commissioner of Police, Abiodun Odude, who confirmed the mayhem, said some arrest had been made and that normalcy had returned to the areas.

“Two rival groups engaged in fight in the areas but normalcy has returned to the areas. We made some arrests and investigation is still ongoing. Police will not tolerate activities of hoodlums in the state. Our men are still on the ground to forestall further clash and disturbance in the areas by the groups,” he said.

•Text courtesy of Daily Trust.

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