The Oyo State House of Assembly has urged the State Government to consider the possibility of relocating Shasha market to a new and bigger site.
The Assembly made this request in view of the crisis that erupted in the market last week.
Our correspondent reported the crisis which started as a result of the death of a cobbler, Mr. Sakirudeen Adeola.
The news of Adeola’s death resulted in a free-for-all between Yoruba and Hausa ethnic groups, which later resulted in the destruction of property and loss of lives.
The Oyo Assembly has, however, urged the State Governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde to relocate the traders in the market.
The House made the suggestion on Tuesday while deliberating on the urgent need for the State Government to intervene in the recurring clashes between Yoruba and Hausa traders at the market.
A member of the Assembly, Olatunde Kehinde, who brought the matter before the House recalled with bitterness how lives were lost and property destroyed during the clash, stating that it was disappointing that security operatives were slow in responding to the crisis.
The lawmakers in their resolution noted that the present place where the market is located can no longer accommodate the number of traders and the volume of goods in the market, hence government should move the market to a new area.
They also urged the State Government to set up a panel of enquiry to ascertain the cause(s) of the clash with a view to prosecuting those responsible for the mayhem.
The House further called for a security summit in all constituencies across the State to enable stakeholders to appraise and address the present situation and suggest ways of averting future security threats.
Speaker of the Assembly, Hon Adebo Ogundoyin said it was unfortunate that the crisis was not well managed by the Hausa and Yoruba indigenes at the market.
Ogundoyin said that the rising spate of insecurity across the State demands that the various security agencies rise up to the challenge.
“They need to put their professional training to bear in the discharge of their duties. We need our security agents to react on time to emergency situations whenever they are called upon.
“The clash between traders of Yoruba and Hausa extractions should not have been allowed to snowball into a situation where lives and property would be lost.
“Our Police should collaborate more with various security agencies to enable them arrest criminals who are bent on fomenting trouble among us.”
