An investigation conducted by Vanguard has revealed that an ethnic clash in the well-known Oke Odo Market, located in the Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Area of Lagos State, was triggered by an incident involving a betting agent’s refusal to pay out N60,000 in winnings to a customer. The incident occurred late on Wednesday night when a Yoruba man emerged as the winner, having won the amount from a popular betting platform.
According to eyewitnesses, when the winner approached the betting agent, who happened to be from the North, to collect his prize, the agent allegedly refused to pay him, insisting that the winner should be prepared to offer a portion of the money as compensation.
This refusal incensed the winner, who adamantly asserted that he would only give the agent a voluntary amount, expressing his belief that the agent had no right to coerce him into parting with any of his winnings. An intense argument ensued, prompting the betting agent to seek refuge among his fellow community members near a nearby refuse dump.
The winner pursued the agent to the location, resulting in a physical altercation. In the midst of the chaos, some of the betting agent’s friends arrived to assist him, while friends of the winning bettor joined the fray as well, escalating the situation further, leading to the burning of several shops and inflicting injuries upon some individuals.
Although the police have managed to bring the situation under control, many stalls and shops within the market remained closed as of Thursday afternoon.
