Makinde shuts Shasha market, imposes curfew as Hausa/Yoruba clash turns bloody
- Oyo state government has indefinitely shut down Shasha market in Ibadan
- The Makinde-led government took the decision after skirmishes at the market degenerated into an ethnic clash
- A dusk to dawn curfew has also been imposed on Shasha and the market area
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Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has ordered the immediate and indefinite closure of the Shasha market in Akinyele local government area of Ibadan, Oyo state.
The Oyo state governor took the action following the skirmishes in the market degenerated into a violent clash between the Yoruba and Hausa residents in the community, Daily Trust reported.
Shasha market is one of the destinations of farm produce from the north to Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
Source: Twitter
A statement by Taiwo Adisa, the chief press secretary to Governor Makinde, on Saturday, February 13, explained that the governor gave the order to close the market to forestall further breakdown of law and order.
The governor equally imposed a curfew on Shasha and the market area, running from 6pm to 7am.
The statement warned residents of the affected area to go about their legitimate businesses peacefully, stating that anyone caught perpetrating violence will face the wrath of the law.
The back story
The skirmishes started on Thursday, February 11, when a cobbler simply identified as Shakirudeen was killed while settling a rift between a woman and a Nigerien porter in the market.
A source from the market narrated how the incident happened to Legit.ng's regional reporter in Ibadan, Ridwan Kolawole.
The source said:
"It happened that one porter, a Nigerien, was carrying tomatoes and the load fell and spilt in front of a woman's shop.
"The porter, although, parked his tomatoes but there are remnants of the spoiled tomatoes which he left unpacked.
"The woman in question asked the porter to pack the tomatoes but he refused and this led to the cobbler coming around to intervene."
Sources told Legit.ng that the porter was not satisfied with the intervention of the cobbler and so "he hit the cobbler who fell and sustained a head injury".
In the early hours of Friday, February 12, Shakirudeen was pronounced dead in the hospital where he was receiving treatment.
Reprisal attacks
Reprisal attacks were thereafter launched by the deceased's supporters and his people. A source told Legit.ng that two other persons apart from Shakirudeen have been killed.
The incident later degenerated into an ethnic clash as some hoodlums of Yoruba extraction issued quit notice to their now estranged neighbours, the Hausas.
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Nurudeen Lawal is a Legit.ng journalist passionate about fact-checking/verification journalism. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Literature-in-English from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. As Politics Editor, Nurudeen mostly writes on Nigeria’s political and socio-economic developments. He has attended different workshops, conferences and training on fact-checking and digital reporting, among others. Learn more about him on Twitter, @Nurudeen Lawal_
Source: Legit.ng
