Traders and Touts Clash In Lagos

Fight broke out yesterday between traders at the popular Alaba International market, along Lagos/Badagry Expressway and motor park touts, popularly called agbero, during which several persons were injured.

This is just as a three storey-building used as a plaza on Lagos Island went up in flames, destroying goods worth several millions of naira.
The fight at Alaba was said to have ensued, following protest by traders over extortion of their customers by the agberos. Vanguard gathered that the motor park touts always demanded for tolls from motorists who bought goods from traders. Failure to pay usually resulted in harassment and assault of customers.

The lingering action was said to have affected the traders, due to low patronage. Consequently, the traders were said to have protested the harassment of a customer who had gone to purchase electronics yesterday by some touts. This resulted in a verbal confrontation that led to a free-for-all, during which dangerous objects such as broken bottles, cutlasses and guns were reportedly used.

It reportedly took efforts of a combined team of policemen from Area 'E' to quell the situation.

Contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Joe Offor, said some arrests were made, adding that normalcy had returned to the troubled zone.



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