Two persons were feared killed and many others injured as hoodlums suspected to be cultists unleashed terror on residents and commuters at Otto-Awori and Ijanikin communities in Ojo Local Government Area of Lagos State.
According to Daily Trust, an eyewitness said that violence broke out following disagreements between two monarchs in the area. One of the monarchs was said to be planning his 15th anniversary, which irked supporters of his rival.
It was learnt that trouble began when an Awori native was reportedly assaulted by a masquerade participating in one of the rites.
The hoodlums wielding Dane guns, machetes, charms and other dangerous objects were said to have ordered vehicles to turn back.
The criminals also snatched phones and other valuables from travellers on the Mile 2-Badagry Expressway after blocking the road.
Motorists who attempted to resist them were beaten up and their vehicles vandalised, said a driver who witnessed the incident.
Policemen from the state anti-crime outfit, the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), have since been deployed to the area and six persons have since been arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack.
Traders at the popular Vespa Market in Ijanikin hurriedly closed shops as some of the hoodlums broke into shops to steal.
The State police spokesman, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, who confirmed the attack said the police were monitoring the situation in Ijanikin and that the road had since been reopened.