Not fewer than 11 people have been buried on Sunday in the aftermath of Friday’s altercation between Hausa and Yoruba traders at Shasa Market in Akinyele Local Government Area, Oyo State.
Also, about 5,000 Hausa traders, women and children displaced by the violence were still taking refuge at the residence of the Sarkin Shasa, Alhaji Haruna Maiyasin, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), in Ibadan.
The Sarkin Sasa, who spoke with Daily Trust, said 11 victims were prepared for burial in his compound. A source in the Hausa community 20 killed persons were buried at the Akinyele Graveyard in the state capital.
The charred remains of 8 other people killed during the crisis were still at the police station in the Shasha area, as of Sunday evening.
“You can hear the noise, they are still here,” Alhaji Maiyasin told Daily Trust by telephone. He said the refugees in his residence were up to 3,000.
Reporters AT Large report that there was still tension in the town and traders from both sides count losses.
The crisis erupted on Thursday when a porter carrying a basket of tomato inadvertently nudged a Yoruba woman. The woman allegedly retaliated and organised a group of Yoruba thugs to avenge. The fight snowballed to Friday during which many people were killed and dozens of shops, worship centres and houses destroyed.
One of our reporters observed that Hausa residents at Mokola area of Ibadan, which is the largest Hausa community in the state were clustering for fear of extension of violence to the area.
Reporters At Large observed that police officers were deployed to the house of the Sarkin Hausawa in Mokola to maintain law and order in the Sabo area of the community.
Meanwhile, the residents of Shasha on Sunday booed the governor of the state, Engr. Seyi Makinde and his Ondo State counterpart, Rotimi Akeredolu, for Makinde’s lateness to visit the troubled area.
On arrival, Yoruba residents in the area insisted that the governors must not see the Sarkin Sasa, for the leader’s alleged failure to caution his subjects when the crisis started three days ago.
The two governors, who arrived at Shasha around 2:30pm, were forced to make a retreat to instead visit the Baale of Shasha.
A Hausa resident, Hassan who said many of his friends had been killed in the unrest said the governor forgot that the Hausa community also voted for him in 2019.
