Pandemonium broke out on Friday in Shasha market, Akinyele local government area of Oyo State.
The violent clash which reached its peak on Friday was said to have happened between the Yoruba and Hausa traders in the market.
There are diverse accounts of what led to the crisis as narrated by different sources.
A source told The Nation that the crisis started Thursday afternoon after a Hausa cart pusher engaged in an argument with a pregnant woman which led him (Hausa man) to descending heavily on the woman.
The account added that the initial argument could have stem from price haggling between the two but that the scene attracted more people when the cart pusher who had helped the pregnant woman carry her load started beating and kicking her.
The situation was said to have attracted other Yorubas who could not bear the assault on the woman and attempted to rescue the woman from further molestation.
According to a source, the intervention of the Yoruba man, who is a popular cobbler in the area attracted the anger of the cart pusher to venting another round of anger on him.
While some account had it that, the Hausa cart pusher hit the Yoruba cobbler with a charm, another source said the cobbler was stabbed with a knife.
Wrangling in pain, the cobbler was said to have been rescued and taken to the hospital by the Yoruba friends.
he ensuing pandemonium was said to have attracted the presence of security operatives including men of the state joint anti-crime security patrol team codenamed Operation Burst on Thursday night.
The cobbler was confirmed dead Friday morning.
The situation led to the Yoruba traders and resident in the area mobilizing and storming the market yesterday but the presence of the security operatives prevented the angry traders from causing any harm.
Another account had it that what led to the crisis was that the pregnant woman mistakenly splashed water on the Hausa trader who in turn beat her to stupor.
But all the accounts confirmed the death of a Yoruba man as a result of the fight.
When Saturday Nation visited the scene, it was observed that police patrol vans and Operation Burst vans were parked at strategic locations around the market with the operatives walking around the market where the fight was said to have taken place.
Unconfirmed sources said some kiosks and a house were razed.
Some of the traders who also spoke lamented that they could not take away the goods including tomatoes and pepper that they bought on Friday morning shortly before the fight started.
Shops were said to have been hurriedly shut while traders who had not bought anything fled the area but the presence of security agents brought some level of sanity to the area.
Many traders deserted their shops Friday morning.
Residents of the area and neighbouring communities also deserted their homes for fear of being attacked, a resident informed The Nation.
Efforts to get the reactions of the Police through the Public Relations Officer, Mr Olugbenga Fadeyi proved abortive as calls and message sent to his line were unreturned as at the time of filing this report.
By Yinka Adeniran, Ibadan
thenationonlineng.net
