Soot is still oozing covering the entire premises. The sky is wet by the soot coming from articles set ablaze by some hoodlums. And the smouldering fire is imperturbably raging. Charred vehicles and other items are scattered over the sprawling premises of Lekki Circle Mall in Lagos State.
This is the aftermath of Lekki Massacre Tuesday night that claimed several lives and injured many. Few minutes after CCTV cameras of Lekki Tollgate were switched off, some suspected soldiers were said to have walked in and opened fire on unarmed protesting youths who sought an end to police brutality and bad governance in Nigeria, among other pressing demands.
A staffer of the mall told Arise Tv correspondent Thursday that “By 7 a.m. some persons numbering more than 100 armed with broken bottles and cutlasses poured in to the mall. Some entered through the main gate while others jumped in through the fence. They looted and set ablaze the shops. OPC members wrestled them but to no avail. Later, a detachment of soldiers came to our rescue. You can see the fire still raging.”
More pathetic was a wailing woman working there. “I was working here. My husband lost his job several months ago. I have children. I was working here and collecting the stipends to feed my family. I borrowed a telephone from someone and yesterday, the hoodlums stole it from me. Where am I going from here? Where am I going to in Nigeria?” the lady sobbed still looking at the Arise Tv reporter.
This is just one of the businesses in Lagos that hoodlums plundered Wednesday and set ablaze.
Earlier videos of a similar incident at Shoprite Sangotede, where looters were seen with a cartload of goods on the streets along Ajah Road.
An eyewitness account also narrated that the hoodlums looted shops around Bode Thomas and Adeniran Ogunsanya.
Primero Transport Services (PTS) Ltd, the owners of BRT Buses have lost over N100 million in 6 days due to the #ENDSARS protest which has ravaged Nigeria’s economic capital of Lagos in the last 10 days.
According to a report from the News Agency of Nigeria, PTS Head, Corporate Communications, Mr. Mutiu Yekeen, said that the company made a lot of losses between Oct. 16 and Oct. 21.
“We are hoping something better will come out of the situation because the situation has impacted negatively on our business in terms of revenue generation. We have lost over N100 million in the last six days but we decided to stop operations to avoid damage to our vehicles and also for the safety of commuters as an organization.
“We value our customers more importantly; that is why we stopped operation due to the volatility of the state especially in Ikorodu. If you listen to the news this morning, you will discover that people cannot travel from Ikorodu to any part of Lagos,” Yekeen said.
GTBank, Lekki, Zenith Bank and Polaris Bank were also torched as the hoodlums went berserk.
Actress Uche Elendu’s shop was looted by hoodlums today October 21. The actress shared photos from her vandalized shop on her IG page.
Yomi Casuals lost items worth millions of Naira to the activities of the hoodlums.
Several government-owned buildings and assets were torched by protesters across Lagos including Police Stations. The suspected hoodlums also set ablaze buildings belonging to private businesses while several shopping malls were looted.
Goods looted and property destroyed during the #ENDSARS protests in Lagos State are at tentatively put at billions of Naira.
The management of the businesses have lost the goods and other valuables, but the staffers have lost peace of keeping their jobs.
