Yorubas,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."

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