Traders and shop owners at the Ile-Ipo market in the Alimosho Local Government Area (LGA) of Lagos have been thrown into discomfort as a clash between suspected hoodlums occasioned setting shops on fire, leaving looses of goods and destruction of properties.
It gathered that the crisis began on Wednesday night following a dispute that ensued from a betting game between some traders.
The dispute resulted in an ethnic fight which was later hijacked by hoodlums.
Meanwhile, some sources attributed the clash which lasted Wednesday night and continued till Thursday morning to disagreement over collection of truck levies between the rival groups.
A section of the market was, however, set on fire amid the fight, leaving traders and customers scampering for safety.
It was gathered fire fighters deployed to put out the inferno were forced to reverse after they were attacked by the hoodlums.
While the crisis raged, shops were looted and burnt, while the fight continued on Thursday morning.
It was gathered that some persons were said to have sustained injuries during the fight.
Meanwhile, as of the time of filing this report, all the shops in the market have been shut as Men of the Rapid Response Team, RRS, of the Lagos State Police Command, have arrested unspecified number of suspects involved in the Thursday clash between some rival miscreant groups.
A top RRS security officer who did not want his name mentioned, said some suspects were arrested in the process and would be prosecuted accordingly.
Security personnel including RRS were still patrolling the market area Thursday afternoon, after restoring sanity.
