Police in Lagos have arrived in Lagos’ huge Mile 12 vegetable and fruit market to stop clashes between the Yoruba and Hausa communities in Nigeria’s commercial capital.
Trouble began on Tuesday when unemployed youths, known as “area boys”, began to charge riders of motorcycle taxis a fee to pass by certain roads.
This inflamed tempers and led to clashes involving the bike riders.
Things took a turn for the worse the next day when a Yoruba man was killed in an accident by a Hausa man on a motorbike near the market.
This has led to clashes between the people from the Yoruba community, who are from the south-west, and Hausa bike riders and business people, who originate from northern Nigeria.
There are are unconfirmed reports of deaths from the violence. One witness at the scene told me by phone that he had heard that seven people had died in the violence.
Mile 12 is a huge wholesale market and vendors come from all over West Africa to sell on fresh produce elsewhere.
Local media is reporting that arrests have been made.
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