1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Liberia

Lagos House of Assembly backs militia

Country Map - Sierra Leone, Liberia IRIN

The Lagos House of Assembly on Tuesday blamed the police for an upsurge of crime in the state and claimed that crime-fighting vigilante groups like the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) were being killed unnecessarily, ‘The Guardian’ reported.

However, State Commissioner of Police Mike Okiro said clashes between the OPC and the police, during which about 31 people died on Sunday and Monday, had been caused by atrocities committed by the group. He also said police reinforcements had arrived in Lagos, the newspaper reported.

The Lagos House of Assembly mandated its Committee on Information, Strategy and Security to examine the security situation in the state and recommend measures to enhance the safety of lives and property.

The police said atrocities committed by the OPC included the killing of five persons, three of them were reportedly murdered at the request of their landlord who had been trying to evict them.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join