Chaos broke out in the Alaba Rago area of Iba, Lagos State, on Sunday after a violent clash between road transport workers, commonly referred to as agberos, and supporters of a local monarch, resulting in the death of a yet-to-be-identified passenger.
The conflict reportedly erupted early Sunday morning following the unveiling of a new motor park allegedly constructed by the monarch to serve vehicles travelling to Nigeria’s northern and eastern regions.
According to eyewitnesses, the park’s launch ignited tensions among existing road transport workers, who viewed it as a disruption to their operations.
“The monarch built a park at the Alaba Market side of the road. It was unveiled on Saturday for vehicles going to the North and East,” a resident identified only as Shola told PUNCH Metro.
“But the road transport workers were not comfortable with the development. The CP (Commissioner of Police) was even there. There was a tussle over the park between the monarch and some of the agberos. That’s what led to the fiasco,” he added.
Sources said the agberos saw the park as a threat to their control over the collection of levies from commercial drivers in the area.
Violence broke out on Sunday morning when both groups clashed, leading to a tragic fatality.
“In the process of chasing themselves and fighting, a passenger was trying to cross the road near the new park when a speeding vehicle hit and killed the person on the spot,” another resident, Abbey, said.
Graphic videos shared from the scene showed the lifeless victim in a pool of blood, with bystanders later covering the body with a wrapper.
Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police Command, through its spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin, said the authorities are working to de-escalate tensions between the rival groups.
“The CP was personally on the ground yesterday for an on-the-spot assessment,” Hundeyin stated.
“He also met with all parties today (Monday) at the command headquarters in Ikeja to find a lasting solution to the problem,” he added.
This latest incident is one in a series of violent altercations involving transport workers and union operatives in Lagos and neighbouring Ogun State, including a fatal clash in late 2023 in the Akute and Alagbole areas.
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