Bodija Traders Mourn Loss Of 14 Members, N33m In Two Attacks

Traders in Bodija market, yesterday, mourned the death of their colleagues after attacks by suspected Boko Haram gunmen left ten dead.

Speaking on the sad incident at the market, Public Relations Officer of the market, Mr. Emiola Akeem, said they had lost a total of 14 members on their way to buy goods for traders at the market, and more than N33 million in the two attacks by Boko Haram.

“On May 5, this year, four of our members were murdered in cold blood and N11 million was stolen from them. This time again, after killing them, they stole N22 million we contributed to buy beans and fish,” Akeem said.

The slain traders were said to have been attacked by gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram members at Mugunu in Borno State.

Business activities have resumed generally at the popular market, but the section for beans sellers was deserted with all the shops locked up. The traders who managed to come only stood in groups discussing the sad incident.

One of the traders, Mrs. Bola Lawal, said the action was just to sympathise with their dead colleagues.

“We closed our shops just to mourn our dead colleagues. Look at their shops there. They were very nice and hard-working young men. See what these evil people have done now?”

According to the market’s PRO, he had prevailed on some “angry youths who wanted to attack our Hausa colleagues,” adding, “We cannot protest in Oyo State. The state government did not do any evil to us. It would be unfair if we now go to the secretariat to protest. It is not the state government that failed, it is the Federal Government.”

He maintained that his members would never go to the North again to buy goods, adding that a special prayer would be held in honour of the deceased soon.

It was learnt that only nine corpses were brought back to Ibadan on Tuesday of the 10 men killed in the latest attack, as the 10th body was said to have been dismembered through several machete cuts.