No fewer than three persons were killed, 20 injured on
Wednesday, at the Lagos State Abattoir, Agege, as Hausa and Fulani traders
clashed. Six vehicles were also vandalised and some cattle were reportedly
killed by the warring groups.
Issues started between the two groups after the Nigeria
Railway Corporation demolished some shanties and shops erected around the
railway line. The structures were reportedly owned by the Hausa, who were
majorly scrap collectors.
They were said to have accused the Fulani, who were cattle
dealers of being responsible for their ordeal, adding that the Fulani
encouraged the government to demolish the structures to facilitate easy rail
transport of their cows from the north to the abattoir.
A trader, Jimoh Umoru, said crisis erupted after a Hausa
woman was assaulted by a Fulani man, who had bought food from her and refused
to pay.
He said, “The Hausa are majorly scrap collectors, and they
ply their trade around the railway line where they also built their shanties. On
Saturday, the government demolished their shanties and shops and many of them
were displaced and lost their means of livelihood. They felt that their Fulani
brothers, who deal in cattle, were behind what happened to them. The matter
came to a head on Tuesday after a Fulani man bought food from a Hausa woman,
and refused to pay. There was argument between them and the man assaulted the
girl. That was how the two tribes started fighting each other.
“Around 1am on Wednesday, some of the Fulani youths invaded
the apartments of the Hausa and killed some of them. By 5am, the Hausa launched
a reprisal and injured many of the Fulani and destroyed their property. The
Hausa suffered higher casualties.”
The Punch gathered
that some of the victims were taken to the New Merit Hospitals in the Oko-Oba
area of Agege.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, said
one person died in the incident.
She said, “At about 1am today, we received a distress call
that there was a serious fight between the Hausa and the Fulani communities in
the Abattoir. The report indicated that the crisis started after a young Hausa
woman was beaten by a Fulani man. It degenerated into serious fight and
subsequent destruction of property. The command’s operatives from Area G, RRS
and Abattoir division were moved in to quell the crisis and normalcy has been
returned to the area.”
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