Amid fear of ethic uprising, some residents of Shasha community in Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan on Friday relocated from their homes to neighbouring communities to avert being caught in the web of a reprisal attack by conflicting groups.
The peace in the community was stalled in the wake of the crisis that ensued between some hoodlums and the Hausa traders following the death of one Adeola Sakirundeen in the market.
The clash between the two groups at the Shasha Market area of Ibadan reportedly degenerated towards the evening on Friday.
Those at loggerheads were said to have clashed in reaction to the death of Sakirundeen, a cobbler who was said to have been attacked with dangerous weapon by an Hausa trader in the market on two days ago.
Unconfirmed report stated that three persons were killed in the clash while shops and other properties were said to have been burnt in the area by hoodlums who reportedly seized the clash to wreak havoc on innocent people.
However, the police confirmed the death of one person but was silent on destruction of properties.
As a result of the violence, residents were seen fleeing the troubled area around 5:30pm.
Some of them said they managed to pick few clothes and other personal effects before hurriedly living their homes as they were not sure whether the violence would spread further or not.
When visited, it was observed that smoke was bellowing from the market area which is the epicentre of the clash.
Some shop owners in the vicinity alleged that two persons were butchered and their corpses were set ablaze by an angry mob.
The fight was said to have been caused by a Hausa man who reportedly beat a porter on Wednesday evening. A Yoruba cobbler around the scene was said to have challenged the Hausa man for accosting a pregnant woman.
Some sources said this resulted in an altercation and the Hausa man was reported to have hit the cobbler with a charm while another version claimed that the enraged Hausa man struck the cobbler with a knife.
He was said to have died at the hospital on Friday morning.
The news of the cobbler’s death was said to have triggered the violence.
The Commissioner of Police, Mrs Ngozi Onadeko, reportedly visited the scene but the violence seemed to have degenerated after the visit.
Some of the residents said Yoruba youths were angry because of the killing of the cobbler who was hit with a charm.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Command, Olugbenga Fadeyi, who confirmed the clash, said one person died.
He said, “It was a clash between two social miscreants in which one of the miscreant, Adeola Sakirudeen ‘male,’ was hit by the other and died later while receiving treatment in an hospital.
The Commissioner of Police, Special Adviser to the governor on Security and other Police Tactical Teams visited the scene for on-the-spot assessment.
Massive Police deployment and that of the sister security agencies were made to douse the tension.
“Critical stakeholders have also been consulted to appeal to the people. Normalcy is gradually returning to the area.”
