From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
Two persons have been killed during a communal clash that ensued between the youth of Tede and Ago-Are communities in Atisbo Local Government Area of Oyo State over cattle markets.
Investigation revealed that each of the communities initially had one cattle market each. But the crisis started brewing when the people of Ago-Are decided to establish a new cattle market that would be more spacious than the first one.
The relocation of the market, according to sources, did not go down well with a number of people in Ago-Are, and they decided to establish an independent cattle market in Tede. The operators of the independent cattle market and some youth of Tede, reportedly fixed the market day for the same day and the same time.
Pandemonium reportedly broke out when people of Tede allegedly waylaid the Hausa, who were carrying their goods to be sold at Ago-Are cattle market, and purportedly forced them to offload the cattle at Tede on Friday.
The people of Ago-Are, who heard about the information, allegedly embarked on revenge mission. In the fracas, two persons purportedly lost their lives when the crisis reached crescendo on Sunday.
The Chairman of Ago-Are community, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Abdulkareem, confirmed the incident. He appealed to the youth to give peace a chance. The two communities, he said, have the same forefathers.
During the crisis, two police vehicles, attached to the Police Area Command, Saki, were vandalised. Sources said the police patrol vehicles were deployed to restore normalcy.
At about 6:30pm on Sunday, military vehicles from the 244 battalion of the Nigerian Army, Asabari Barracks Saki, arrived the town as soldiers took over the security of Tede.
The Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Olugbenga Fadeyi, could not be reached for comment on the incident.
