Mechanics, Spare Parts Dealers’ Clash Looms In Mushin

The battle for supremacy between mechanics and spare parts dealers may soon erupt at Ladipo market, Mushin, Lagos, southwest Nigeria, as a group of Igbo traders group under the name, LASEC, extorts money from the mechanics.

The chairman of one of the mechanics groups, Ado Aladura Unit Automobile, Mr Wahaab Adebiyi, told P.M.NEWS that it is a major problem to mechanics operating in the village. According to him, “our customers do not come to us again because of this Igbo people that call themselves LASEC. The LASEC extorts money from them and embarrasses them.”

“We have complained at the Mushin Police Station but they seem not to be interested in the matter. Our members have been the ones suffering as several of them have been attacked,” he added.

The recent clash between the mechanics and the LASEC took place at the market when a mechanic who is a member of the Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association, NATA, tried to drive a tokunbo car into the mechanics village.

The LASEC members were said to attacked him and those who attempted to rescue him, were badly injured. The cause of the fracas was victim’s refusal to pay an illegal N1,000 to LASEC. The group is said to collect N1,000 for each car brought into or taken out of the village.

P.M.NEWS gathered that it has become a regular occurrence as the police have not done anything to restrain the LASEC.

One of the victim, Saheed told P.M.NEWS that they are daily intimidated and nobody seems to care.

“It is not as if we are afraid of them, it is just that our NATA leaders always preach peace to us and we don’t want to disobey them. We ourselves do not support violence but it is becoming too much for us to bear. We can’t pay illegal money to a group whose legality is in doubt,” he said.

—Motunrayo Idris & Kashimana Beba