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| An unidentified member of Oodua People's Congress militia walks with a gun on a major street, during a protest against Boko haram in Lagos, Thursday, Dec. 8, 2011. |
Oodua People's Congress (OPC) marched unstopped through Nigeria's largest city, firing shotguns and rifles in the air in what they called a protest against a radical Muslim sect responsible for killings across the oil-rich country.
OPC Men armed with shotguns, rifles and machetes freely roamed the streets of Lagos without a sign of police, while passers-by shouted that their region of Nigeria should be protected — rather than the country as a whole.
"We don't want them to fight here in our Lagos because Lagos is for everybody, not for Yoruba alone, but for everybody," said Chief Orebiyi Ebenezer, a militia leader. "We need peace here in Lagos."
"We OPC, we still exist," Akintayo said. "They should not fall (under) our hand. ... This is our father's land." He added: "We are going to retaliate if there is any bomb blast hitting any place. We are ready for them. Anytime, any moment."
How the group would retaliate remains unclear, but Lagos remains a melting pot city for Nigeria's more than 250 ethnic groups. At risk would be those belonging to the Hausa Fulani ethnic group, Muslims who dominate the country's north.
{AP, IMAGE - Ogundamisi}
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