THERE was tension yesterday at Ibese, M. host community of Dangote Cement Factory in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, following a communal clash that left, Abeokuta three people dead and 27 trailers burnt.
In the mayhem which engulfed the community Tuesday night through Wednesday, five motorcycles and two cars were also torched.
Several people reportedly sustained severe injuries in the incident, while shops and property worth millions of naira were destroyed.
State Police Command blamed commercial sex workers for igniting the violence,Naija hottestgistĀ gathered yesterday that a disagreement over a commercial sex worker between a Hausa man and his Yoruba counterpart led to the crisis on Tuesday.
subsequently degenerated to a communal clash between the Hausa and Yoruba communities in the When the Nigerian Compass visited the scene, the popular Oja Oba Dangote community market in the area was deserted by traders.
Policemen were sighted at strategic locations while an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) was also stationed in front of the Dangote Cement Factory, apparently to safeguard the company from attack.
Speaking with reporters, the market’s Task Force Chairman, Alhaji Sikiru Akinsola, said the conflict was between Hausa and Yoruba people in the community.
He explained that a lot of traders could not come to the market over fear of renewed hostility yesterday.
Akinsola also called on the state government to provide adequate security in the troubled area.
Reacting, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, said six people have been arrested in connection with the violence.
Adejobi, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), however, denied that the incident had ethnic colouration.
He explained that an argument over commercial sex worker caused the crisis.
Adejobi, however, stated that normalcy has been restored to the area, adding that the state Police Commissioner, Ikemefuna Okoye, had already visited the scene.
He added that a contingent of policemen was deployed in the town to forestall escalation of the crisis.