Following the killing of four Bodija Market traders by gunmen on Sunday, fear of possible reprisal attack mounted, yesterday, in Ibadan as the news of their death was broken to other traders in the market.
As a sign of protest, the popular Bodija market was shut with scores of security agents patrolling the area to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order.
According to information gathered, the traders whose names were given as Amodu, Fatai, Nihas and Alaba were travelling to buy wheat from the north when they were reportedly ordered to alight from a 16-passenger bus.
They were said to have been identified as Yoruba by their attackers.
Other people of northern extraction in the bus were reportedly spared while the Ibadan traders were asked to lie face down and shot to death.
The traders were two kilometres from Dikua village when the incident happened.
The source who spoke with newsmen said: “We heard there were 16 passengers in all including four Yorubas who were ordered to lie face down and shot to death.
“This is not the first time. That was how they killed three cattle dealers from here in the same area three days to the Eid-el-kabir festival last October.
“Many of us often contribute money so we could buy in bulk and then share, especially our elders who could no longer undertake such trips.”
On whether the assailants could not have been robbers, the traders insisted that they were not robbers because if they were, they would have first robbed them of their belongings and money before killing them. But in this case, we heard they first killed them. In any case this was not the first time.
However, after killing them, the assailants reportedly stole millions of Naira found on their victims.
But, at about 5pm yesterday, some traders had started displaying their wares in front of the shops.
As press time, the remains of the slain traders were still been expected.
As a sign of protest, the popular Bodija market was shut with scores of security agents patrolling the area to ensure that there was no breakdown of law and order.
According to information gathered, the traders whose names were given as Amodu, Fatai, Nihas and Alaba were travelling to buy wheat from the north when they were reportedly ordered to alight from a 16-passenger bus.
They were said to have been identified as Yoruba by their attackers.
Other people of northern extraction in the bus were reportedly spared while the Ibadan traders were asked to lie face down and shot to death.
The traders were two kilometres from Dikua village when the incident happened.
The source who spoke with newsmen said: “We heard there were 16 passengers in all including four Yorubas who were ordered to lie face down and shot to death.
“This is not the first time. That was how they killed three cattle dealers from here in the same area three days to the Eid-el-kabir festival last October.
“Many of us often contribute money so we could buy in bulk and then share, especially our elders who could no longer undertake such trips.”
On whether the assailants could not have been robbers, the traders insisted that they were not robbers because if they were, they would have first robbed them of their belongings and money before killing them. But in this case, we heard they first killed them. In any case this was not the first time.
However, after killing them, the assailants reportedly stole millions of Naira found on their victims.
But, at about 5pm yesterday, some traders had started displaying their wares in front of the shops.
As press time, the remains of the slain traders were still been expected.
