Suspected thugs invaded a town hall meeting organised by the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Oregun area of Lagos State, disrupting the gathering and forcing attendees to flee. A video shared by TheCable on Thursday showed people wielding sticks and other objects as they stormed the venue, sending participants scrambling for safety. Footage showed chairs and furniture overturned inside the hall, with people pushing one another near the entrance, while some attendees held blue party flags as the disturbance spread.

The violence later spilled into the adjoining compound, where people ran in different directions around parked vehicles, including a white minibus, and some individuals chased others with sticks as groups dispersed onto nearby roads. Reports said the attackers were armed with cutlasses, cudgels and stones. The identities of the attackers and their affiliations were not immediately established.S1S2

The Lagos attack is the latest in a series of disruptions linked to NDC political activity and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, ahead of the 2027 general elections. On November 4, Obi's convoy was attacked near Watt Market in Calabar, Cross River State, as he was heading to the party's presidential town hall meeting; PUNCH Online reported that suspected political thugs threw stones, bottles and other dangerous objects at vehicles and supporters, and one suspect was arrested. Speaking at that event, Obi said his security team advised him to take another route after the attackers allegedly armed themselves with machetes, recalling, "They were throwing stones, and I saw people running back."S1

Earlier, on September 18, suspected thugs reportedly disrupted a campaign rally involving supporters of Obi and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, in Warri, Delta State, with Obi's media aide, Esther Umoh, alleging on X that politically sponsored thugs attacked members of the campaign group, including the entourage of the NDC governorship candidate in the state. On September 12, armed hoodlums reportedly invaded an NDC ward meeting in Obuoffia, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, firing sporadically and injuring attendees.S1

The Enugu State Police Command ordered an investigation into the Obuoffia attack and a separate disruption of a Peoples Democratic Party rally in Agbani. Police spokesperson Daniel Ndukwe said Commissioner of Police Mamman Giwa had directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department to "thoroughly investigate" the incidents and ensure those responsible were brought to book. The NDC later named eight victims of the Enugu attack.S1

Obi won Lagos, a stronghold of the All Progressives Congress, with 582,354 votes in the 2023 presidential contest, when he was standard-bearer of the Labour Party, underscoring the political stakes of the state ahead of the coming polls.S2