No fewer than three persons were feared dead while properties and goods worth several millions of naira were set ablaze as traders and some members of the road transport union clashed, yesterday, in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.
A source, who narrated the cause of the incident to newsmen said trouble started on Tuesday night, when a bag belonging
to wife of a chieftain of road transport workers was snatched by unknown persons around Sabo area of the Erekesan market along the Ijigbo-old garage road of the town.
The enraged husband of the victim and his colleagues were said to have accused the traders in the axis, who are mostly of Yoruba and Hausa extractions of harbouring bag snatchers which eventually led to the fracas.
When contacted, the Police Public Relation Officer in the state, Mr Alberto Adeyemi, said only four persons were injured and they are receiving treatment at the Police clinic, in Ado-Ekiti.
He added that two units mobile have been deployed to the trouble spot to restore peace to the area.
The crisis continued to 8.30am on Wednesday, spreading to Atikankan area where there is huge concentration of Hausa settlers as well as Oja-Oba, (kings market), old garage and new garage Irona, believed to be central trading places of the Hausas.
During the ensuing melee, about ten shops, several stalls and goods in the Ijoka extention of the market were torched while hoodlum wielding cutlasses, broken bottles, clubs took advantage of the situation to loot lock up shops within and around the market and cart away property and money which value could not be ascertained as at press time.
Human and vehicular movement were halted in major business areas of Ado Ekiti such as Ajilosun, Okeyinmi, Okesha, Irona while banks in the area hurriedly closed shops as a result of the crisis.
By Leadenship
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