Police in Lagos said on Friday that its operatives raided the shanties around the popular Alaba International Market in the Ojo Local Government Area of the state.
The Force said it acted on credible information.
State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, disclosed this via his Twitter handle.
Hundeyin stated that weapons were recovered from some of the suspected criminals arrested after the raid.
He added that the shanties were thereafter razed by the police.
He wrote, “This is a false narrative! Acting on credible information, police officers from Ojo Division raided shanties around the market, arrested suspected criminals and recovered some weapons. The shanties were thereafter set on fire. Alaba Int’l Market is not on fire.”
Panic gripped traders in the market after a fire gutted some shanties around the market.
Some of the traders, however, made efforts to put out the fire before the arrival of emergency responders.
Director of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, in a statement, confirmed that none of the stores in the market was affected.
She said, “It is instructive to confirm that shanties and not shops are on fire, please.”
She further stated that the incident degenerated into a security situation as officials of the agency were unable to gain access into the area to carry out their duties.
Adeseye said the agency was collaborating with security agents to address the situation.