Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) has said that last weekend’s conflict at Shasha Market in Ibadan, Oyo State was not a tribal conflict.
Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State who made the declaration on behalf of the Forum after an on-the-spot assessment on Tuesday said it was the handiwork of miscreants who set out to loot, steal and cause mayhem.
He also described the crisis as a regrettable spontaneous incident.
The NGF mandated the four governors to visit Oyo State and rub minds with their Oyo State counterpart, Gov. Seyi Makinde over the conflict in which lives were lost and property destroyed.
With Bagudu at the on-the-spot assessment were Governors Abdullahi Ganduje, Abubakar Bello, and Bello Matawalle of Kano, Niger, and Zamfara states respectively.
The Kebbi Governor admonished youths and social media warriors and influencers to desist from painting the conflict as tribally-motivated and to also discontinue the fanning of the embers of discord that could destabilise the country.
He noted that normalcy had returned to the Shasha community as leaders there were working together to put the incident behind them.
He stressed that “the streets of Ibadan are calm; there is no one chasing another and people are supporting one another to ensure normalcy.’’ while noting that such skirmishes were bound to happen in communities, but that sometimes they are exploited by miscreants to loot, steal and to cause mayhem.
“At Shasha Market, we saw the destruction, but more than the destruction was the regrettable loss of lives that were caused by an unfortunate and condemnable spontaneous response to emotions.
“Everyone in the community recognised that two issues led to the crisis. “First, there had been contention over the leadership at Shasha Market.
“Both the Seriki and Baale of Shasha are in agreement about the leadership tussle, but other interested groups were not, hence, there was an undercurrent for trouble to brew.
“What was the trigger? There was somebody pushing a wheelbarrow with tomatoes and the items fell in front of a shop. Ordinarily, that is normal in markets.
“But when emotions rose and social media posts instigating crisis became strident, we had the situation we had. “We sympathise with those who lost their lives and property.
Also, we appreciate what Gov. Makinde, community leaders, security agents, youth groups, have done so far.”
