Ile-Ife Clash: What Caused The Bloody Clash Between The Hausa and Yoruba Communities

Ile-Ife, an ancient town Osun State was yesterday thrown into turmoil as Yoruba and Hausa took up arms against each other in the Sabo area of the town.

The Magaji of Hausa community in Ile- Ife and secretary to the central mosque in the town, Alhaji Nasir Magaji has narrated what led to the mayhem that was unleashed on the peaceful town of Sabo

Magaji explained that a Hausa man allegedly slapped a woman known as  Kuburat, a pour water seller, who happened to be the wife of a Yoruba man and all hell was let loose.


He said: “It was Kuburat that provoked the Hausa man into slapping her, immediately this happened, the fellow hausamen who were presence when this incident happened, scolded the hausa man for being so uncivil. however, the yorubas around got angry by what the hausaman did and descended on him, beating him and other hausa men in the vicinity up

Hence, the Hausamen fought back.” The incident was said to have generated controversy between the Yoruba and the Hausa living in the community on Tuesday where the act was perpetrated.

However, it snowballed into bloody violence in the early hours of yesterday. It became a free for all where dangerous weapons such as guns, arrows, swords, machetes, daggers and clubs were used.

Witnesses said that the people organized themselves into two formidable groups to match each other strength for strength in the fierce battle which led to the killing and maiming of innocent people as well as destruction of property believed to worth several millions of Naira.


Nigeria bulletin