Yoruba, Hausa traders clash in Ibadan market

There was commotion in Ibadan on Friday
when Yoruba and Hausa traders clashed at
Bodija Market, leaving at least five people
injured while property worth millions of
naira were destroyed, according to
eyewitness.
Traders fled the market in the aftermath of
the clash, leaving their stores open while
food stuffs littered the entire market. At the
entrance of the market, a commercial bicycle
was set ablaze while the owner escaped
with minor injuries.
A truck load of food stuffs was also
vandalised inside the market. Traders with
serious injuries were said to have been
quickly taken to the hospital while police
vans were stationed at strategic positions.
There were varied accounts of the cause of
the clash but a credible source, Akeem
Emiola, who is the Public Relations Officer,
Ibadan Food Stuffs Sellers Association,
Bodija Market, told our correspondent that
there had been tension between the two
groups since Yoruba traders were killed by
Boko Haram members in Borno State.
On May 5, 2013, four traders were killed
while 10 more were killed on June 28. 2013.
Since the massacres were carried out,
Yoruba traders had shunned the troubled
zone, paving the way for Hausa traders to
bring in food stuffs, especially beans from
the North and sell at preferred prices.
Emiola said Friday's clash was the climax of
the tension that had been on the rise since
the death of the 14 traders.
He said, "Since Boko Haram killed Yoruba
traders from Bodija Market, traders could
not go to the North to buy food stuffs but
the Hausa traders have a means of sending
the products especially beans to their
kinsmen in Ibadan. The price has since risen
beyond common man's ability, which is a
source of worry for the leadership of Bodija
market union. There was tension in the
market because only the Hausa traders have
been selling beans in large quantity, leaving
Yoruba traders idle."
He added that there were rumours that a
clash was imminent between the two ethnic
groups, leading to a peace talk called by the
community leaders in Bodija area, where all
concerned parties were invited.
But a solution remained elusive until Friday,
when the state Commissioner of Police,
Mohammed Indabawa, invited all the parties
involved to find a solution to the brewing
crisis.
"On Friday, all the parties concerned met
with the Commissioner of Police, where it
was agreed that beans coming from the
North should be divided equally between
the two groups," said Emiola. But the truce
only lasted a few hours as tension reached a
boiling point."

source: punchng