Chaos broke out in the Oregun district of Lagos State on Thursday morning after armed hoodlums violently targeted supporters attending a town hall meeting organized by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Wielding cutlasses, wooden clubs, and stones, the assailants stormed the venue around 11:00 a.m., triggering widespread panic and sending attendees scrambling for cover.
Prior to the disruption, the gathering had maintained a festive atmosphere, with party faithful singing and dancing ahead of the scheduled proceedings. Although NDC supporters initially mounted resistance at the entrance to prevent the mob from breaching the main auditorium, the confrontation quickly escalated into violence.
The NDC presidential ticket is led by Peter Obi alongside his running mate, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. During the 2023 presidential election, Obi—then running on the Labour Party (LP) platform—secured an upset victory in Lagos by polling 582,354 votes in what has long been considered a stronghold of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Eyewitness accounts from outside the premises indicated that the mob approached the venue via Kudirat Abiola Way. Speaking in Yoruba, members of the group were overheard plotting to overpower the attendees due to their limited numbers, with some asking their leaders for permission to deploy firearms.
The resulting bedlam spilled onto nearby streets, forcing motorists along Kudirat Abiola Way to make hasty U-turns and search for alternate routes as pedestrians fled the vicinity to safety.
