Sokoto governor condemns ethnic clashes in Oyo

Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal has condemned the clashes between Hausa and Yoruba communities in Shasha Market in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State.

In a statement issued by the Sokoto State Government House Sunday night, Governor Tambuwal warned that the clashes between the two ethnic groups could degenerate into a bigger conflict if not quickly checked.

Tambuwal who said he had been in touch with Governor Seyi Makinde since Saturday morning over the incidents, commended his Oyo state counterpart for his proactive response by imposing dusk to dawn curfew and the immediate closure of Shasha Market indefinitely.

He, however, called on the Federal Government to sustain the massive Police deployment in the area and also increase the number of security men drafted there.

The statement read: “Since Saturday morning when some groups of individuals halted traffic and movement of people across the various highways, asking passengers to identify their ethnic groups, I have been in constant touch with my Oyo State counterpart, Gov. Seyi Makinde on how best to halt the violence.

“We are all living witness to the bloodletting that has led to the loss of several lives a couple of hours ago after a clash ensued when a cobbler was fatally stabbed by a cart pusher in Sasha market, Ibadan, Oyo State.

“The unwarranted reprisal that followed has thus far degenerated into an ethnic conflict with a potential of snowballing into another fratricidal conflict if it is not quickly nipped in the bud.

“As a nation, we must find a quick solution to these wanton killings of one another amidst the ongoing National Challenge of insecurity.

“Also, distraught from the ravages of the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, economic problems and the pressure to see that good governance prevail, it is against the logic of equity and good conscience for a group of people to discriminate against their fellow countrymen and unleash mayhem on them simply because they belong to ‘another’ ethnic group.

“We, therefore, reject, condemn and detest the ugly incidents that have enveloped the Hausa and Yoruba communities in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State.

“While commending Gov. Makinde for his proactive response by the way of imposing eleven-hour dusk to dawn curfew and the immediate closure of Shasha market indefinitely, we call on the Federal Government to sustain the massive Police deployment in the area and also increase the number of security men drafted there.

“Equally, all hands must be on deck to ensure that the option of dialogue is exploited to the fullest while the welfare of those affected is catered for in the short and long term.”