Tension in Balogun market as traders clash, one feared dead

By Efe Onodjae

Panic is currently in Balogun Market, Lagos Island, following a bloody clash between Yoruba and Igbo traders that reportedly left one person dead and several others missing.

According to a source at the market, the crisis started after a fight broke out between two market runners, one Yoruba and one Igbo. Both men allegedly attacked each other with weapons during the altercation. The Yoruba trader was said to have been stabbed and later died from the injuries sustained.

The incident, the source disclosed, triggered a violent reprisal as groups of Yoruba youths stormed the market in retaliation, chasing Igbo traders and attacking anyone in sight. “As I speak to you now, many of our Igbo brothers are missing. The entire market is not safe. Yoruba boys have taken over, and we fear for our lives,” the source said.

It was further gathered that the Igbo suspect who stabbed the deceased has been arrested and taken to Lion Building Police Command for interrogation.

Meanwhile, when our correspondent reached out to a hair vendor known as Hairlord, along with other traders, they appealed to the Lagos State Government and security agencies to urgently intervene to restore peace in the market and prevent further bloodshed.

When contacted, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Superintendent of Police CSP Benjamin Hundeyin for confirmation proved abortive, as calls to his line were displaying “busy”.

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