Two persons reportedly lost their lives on Sunday during a bloody clash between Yoruba and Hausa traders at the Ilepo Market in the Oke Odo area of Lagos State.
The fight was said to have started after a Hausa porter, popularly known as Alabo or Bolar boy, mistakenly hit a Yoruba man with the tray he was using to convey goods for traders.
The disagreement was said to have degenerated into a fight between the duo, which eventually led to a ethnic fight. n
Narrating the incident, an official of the market, Shina Omotosho, said, “A Yoruba boy and one Alabo (Hausa porter) ran into each other and the Alabo fell down. They fought and the dispute was resolved.
“Some of the Bolar boys suddenly rushed into the market and tried to take the Yoruba boy to their Bolar to deal with him. The boy, however, escaped. They immediately ran into the market with arrows and knives. At that point, we reported to the police.”
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Another official, who briefed a police team consisting of the task force chairman, Mr Yinka Egbeyemi, said the fight escalated after police intervention.
“The police team shot in the air, but a stray bullet hit one of the Hausa boys. They became angry and that was how the fight escalated. The Hausa came out in large numbers and many people were injured,” he said.
Speaking to The Punch, a roadside trader, Taiwo Shodimu, claimed that some of the Hausa boys destroyed her goods.
“The scuffle started inside the market before it spilled onto the road, where we are trading. The Hausa were many and had assorted weapons. Like other traders, I fled when I saw them. They destroyed my cartons of fish valued at N100,000,” she said.
On their parts, two Hausa traders, “three policemen followed some area boys to the Bolar. The area boys had petrol bottle inside their pockets. We allowed them to come into the Bolar, because we saw that they were with the police. But the policemen shot at the Hausa, while the Yoruba set our houses on fire,” their witness said.
Police teams consisting of the Rapid Response Squad, Lagos State Task Force on Environment and Sanitation (Enforcement) Unit and Mobile Police, later calmed the situation and restored traffic flow, which had been stalled by the affray.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, however, denied that anybody died in the clash.
He also said that five suspects have been arrested, and would be charged.