Sophia Michaels
An investigation by Vanguard has revealed that an alleged refusal by a betting agent to pay out the N60,000 winnings to a staker was the trigger for the ethnic clash that erupted at the well-known Oke Odo Market in Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that the issue that led to the crisis started late on Wednesday night when a staker, a Yoruba man, won N60,000 from a popular betting platform.
It was gathered that when he wanted to collect his win from the betting agent, a man from the North, the agent allegedly refused to pay him, saying the winner should be ready to part with some money.
“This angered the winner, who said he would only give him anything of his own volition. Noting that the agent should not force him to part with any amount of his money. The situation became a matter of hot argument, and the betting agent ran to take refuge among his people in the nearby refuse dump.
“The winner also chased him there, and they started fighting, and in the commotion, some friends of the betting agent came in to assist their friend. The friends of the bet winner also joined the fray,” a source said.
While some shops were burnt in the violent clash and some people were wounded, the police have put the situation under control.
However, most of the stalls and shops in the market are still closed as of Thursday afternoon.
