Uppermost on the mind of Hajara Haruna is to return to the place she has always known as home, Ile-Ife, a town faraway from Unguwar Ayagi in Kano city, where she fled to a few days ago.

The widow and mother was among dozens of others who fled the ancient town of Ile-Ife in the wake of an attack which took a heavy toll on lives and property of the Hausa community there.

Fearing for their safety, Hajara and six of her children and grandchildren first escaped to Akure in Ondo State before finding their way to her father’s house in Kano, where they have been taking refuge.

She was counting her 30th year in Ife when the violence broke, after what many have described as a minor scuffle between a Hausa boy and a Yoruba lady was hijacked by miscreants and turned into an attack against the entire Hausa community in the town.

“Since we have been in the town, we have never witnessed such a clash,” the mother, who lost a shop in the crisis, said.

She recalled that she had never contemplated leaving Ife even after the death of her husband years ago, saying, “I decided to remain there to tend to my business because I had become used to the place.”

According to her, the cause of the attack was too insignificant to have snowballed into a wanton destruction of lives and property on such a large scale.

“A woman slapped somebody and he retaliated. That should have ended there, but like a pre-planned thing, the people went wild on us, killing and setting fire on us and our property. That was savagery,” she said.

Longing for Ile-Ife

According to her, most of them fled the town the very day the crisis started without taking any property along with them. “Many of us have lost everything to the fire the attackers set to our homes and shops. My shop was set ablaze. Most of us left with only the clothes on our bodies,” she added.

In her own group, 22 people made the trip to Kano.

Hajara recalled how frightened they were during the attacks. “For two days we could not sleep. How could we sleep when all around us was on fire? Though my house was not attacked, we were too scared to stay as they continued with the mayhem.”

On reaching Akure, they were charged N5000 each for transportation to Kano.

Despite the ugly development, Hajara said she had the intention of going back when normalcy returns. “I’m used to the area and still have some of my property there. My daughters were married there. They too have fled to the village with their husbands.”

In another part of Kano in Mariri, the wife of Alhaji Malami Nasidi, the Majidadin Sarkin Hausawan Ile-Ife, is preparing for her return to Ife, which has been scheduled for Monday, her husband told Daily Trust on Sunday.

https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/ile-ife-violence-the-inside-story/189796.html

Nasidi said he was convinced there was no more threat to keep his family away in Kano.

Even as peace is gradually returning to Ile-Ife, some victims who escaped to Ibadan are still counting their losses.

One of them, Ustaz Hafiz Kazeem, lost his house, located in Sabo area of Ile-Ife after it was torched by the hoodlums. His biggest consolation, however, is that his two wives and 10 children have all survived to tell their story.

While his family members are being sheltered in Ibadan by his brother, Aminu Kazeem, Hafiz, a timber contractor, has since returned to Ile-Ife.

The spark

All the accounts coming out of Ile-Ife have shown that there is a general consensus about the immediate cause of the violence that has turned the once bustling Sabo area into a shadow of itself.

On a fateful Monday, one Kubura Saka had a disagreement with one Abubakar Mohammed and slapped him, the popular narrative states. Kubura, being a Yoruba woman, got the support of her kinsmen from a nearby motor park. Subsequently, they beat up Mohammed, a Hausa boy. It was from that little spark that the fire started.

The Majidadin Sarkin Hausawan Ile-Ife, Nasidi, told Daily Trust on Sunday by phone that he was in the picture of the whole saga. The traditional title holder and member of the palace of the Sarkin Hausawan Ile-Ife also disclosed that Kubura had been angry with Hausa food vendors, who she had accused of messing up the frontage of her shop by spilling soup on the floor.

He said the boys were selling food in front of the shop she sells drinks. The shop, according to Nasidi, is located at Sabo Ife, near a temporary roadside motor park, called Abuja Park.

Kubura is the wife of a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Akeem Eluwole, popularly known as Escort, according to another resident of the area, the secretary of Sabo Central Mosque, Ile-Ife, Malam Nasiru Magaji, who witnessed the incident.

“She grew up in Sabo, married a Hausa man, Isiyaka, and had her first child, Ridwan with him before she later married Eluwole,” Magaji said.

The Majidadin Sarkin Hausawan Ile-Ife further recalled that: “A day before she quarreled with the boy, Kubura complained to me about the manner the boys were pouring soup all over the place, and I promised to intervene the next morning. The next day (Monday), one of the boys went to the same spot with a bowl of food. Kubura slapped him and he retaliated.

“So she went to the park and invited some Yoruba park members who descended on the boy and beat him to a pulp while we watched. Later, we intervened and pleaded with them to stop the beating, which they did,” he said.

Nasidi said the trouble appeared to have been quenched until Tuesday night when one Demola, the village head of Lawarikan, led some suspected thugs to the Sabo area, brandishing guns and knives.

“When we approached him to find out what was happening, he told us that they were ready to kill anybody. On hearing that, I called the DPO and area commander and notified them. Demola and the thugs left the area when the police arrived,” he explained.

The Sabo Mosque secretary, Magaji, said Mohammed was beaten “mercilessly to the extent that they removed his teeth.”

“Unfortunately, the drivers still mobilised themselves and started beating the Hausa people at random. A traditional ruler in Ife, the Lawarikan of Apoje Oba Ademola Ademiluyi, who is also the chairman of the motor park, was the one that asked some touts in the motor park to beat the Hausa people,” he said, corroborating Nasidi’s account on Demola.

‘Three Hours of Carnage’

There was no sign of any danger in the area when people set out for their daily activities on Wednesday morning, according Majidadi. He said their children had even gone to school as there was no reason to suspect trouble.

“I went to the bank and withdrew N8.7million to buy goods that morning. It was while in the shop of a trader that about 500 thugs invaded the Sabo area, shooting and injuring every Hausa man at sight,” he said.

He said when the attackers started setting shops, houses and people on fire, he called Funsho, the police area commander of the area.

“He (Funsho) responded and brought the police, but he withdrew them after about an hour. It was then that I called the Ooni of Ife, who assured me that he had alerted the police. I put another call to the deputy commissioner of police, who expressed shock that the area commander had left with his men,” Nasidi narrated.
https://www.dailytrust.com.ng/news/general/ile-ife-violence-the-inside-story/189796.html

Nasidi said he was convinced there was no more threat to keep his family away in Kano.

After about two hours, “soldiers and MOPOL (antiriot police)” were deployed, he said.

“But under the three hours that the violence raged, over 40 people were killed and more than 100 houses, 30 cars and 300 motorcycles burnt,” the traditional title holder said.

“On Friday (he spoke Thursday night), we buried over 46. There are still bodies in the bush. Over 30 are in critical conditions in hospitals; some of them will be transferred to Ondo for brain operations. Over 100 people have not been found. If you come to Sabo you will think there was war, but all happened within three hours,” he explained.

Majority of those killed were gold and tourmaline miners trooping to Ilesha and Ife from Zamfara State and Niger Republic to stake their claims, he said.

When our correspondent visited the area, it was full of debris, from what used to be a monument of a community’s success stories. The once prosperous quarters now wear a scary and gory look. Some of the northerners who were not permanent residents of Ile-Ife were moving out of the town while the original inhabitants of Sabo remained there even though they have no place to sleep since their houses have been razed. No commercial activity is going on around the town, which is currently dominated by security men drawn from the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of the State Services (DSS).

Nasidi, however, said calm has returned and the people who had fled to Ondo, Ibadan and the North were making their way back to Ife.

“My family is in Mariri in Kano, but they will return on Monday,” he said.

‘Real Reason We Were Attacked’

Leaders of the Hausa community in Sabo Ife have linked Wednesday’s hostility on the community to an ongoing land tussle between a section of the Yoruba in Ile-Ife and inhabitants of the Sabo community, over ownership of the area.

They claimed the violence meted out on them was orchestrated to force them out of the place, which they said had been settled by their grandparents.

According to the Majidadin Sarkin Hausawan Sabo Ife, the contest over the ownership of the land, which the Sabo community sits, was presently before a Court of Appeal sitting in Akure. He said when the attempt to remove the Hausa community first reared its head during the reign of the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the revered traditional ruler waded into it and supported the Hausa to stay.

“The late Ooni vowed that nobody would take over the place from us as all the lands in Ife belonged to him. We thought that had settled the matter until the family that is dragging the matter with us came back three years later with an eviction notice from a High Court in the state. When we informed the late Ooni, he expressed his anger about it and advised us to appeal since the matter had gone to court. Not only that, he sent his lawyer to support our case.

“The case has been on at the Appeal Court in Akure and we are suspecting that the attack on our people was instigated because the other party in the matter has no hope that they would win the case,” he explained.

Nasidi said they couldn’t understand why somebody would be interested in removing them from a place they have been occupying for generations. “I was born here and my mother who died two years ago at the age of 80 was also born here. The Hausa people have been living in Ile-Ife, specifically, the Sabo area for close to 200 years now,” he said.

When Daily Trust on Sunday visited the residence of the Sarkin Hausawan Ile-Ife, Alhaji Mamuda Madagadi, it was gathered that he was on admission at the hospital, receiving medical treatment because of his health condition. In a previous interview with journalists, the Sarki said the incident was not a clash as it was being reported, explaining that it was an attack on the northerners in Ile-Ife.

‘We will deal with you’

Members of the Sabo community have accused some thugs in the town of referring to them as strangers and using threatening words against them, all in an effort to scare them out of the area.

Speaking about the touts, a prominent northerner in Ile-Ife, Alhaji Saidu Hussaini, alleged: “Whenever there is a slight issue, they would talk to us in a harsh manner and threaten to deal with us. The issue of the land dispute is very correct. In fact, the matter is at the Appeal Court now. They are very hostile to the Hausa people and we have been tolerating them because we know Nigeria belongs to all of us and we are in our country.”

When our correspondent visited the palace of the Oooni of Ife, it was gathered that the monarch embarked on a foreign trip after the incident. An indigene of Ile-Ife who preferred anonymity, said the monarch left the country when he was sure that normalcy had returned and there was peace in Ife.

“The Ooni needed to travel out. The journey had been planned a long time ago before the crisis happened. And since there is peace now with the help of the state government and the security agencies, Kaabiesi had to proceed on his trip,” he said.

Afenifere, OPC, Others Oppose Arrest of Suspected Masterminds

The police investigation team sent to Ile-Ife by the Inspector General of Police Abubakar Idris and led by a commissioner of police, Mr. Hammed Bello, has not disclosed its findings so far.

After about two hours, “soldiers and MOPOL (antiriot police)” were deployed, he said.

“But under the three hours that the violence raged, over 40 people were killed and more than 100 houses, 30 cars and 300 motorcycles burnt,” the traditional title holder said.

“On Friday (he spoke Thursday night), we buried over 46. There are still bodies in the bush. Over 30 are in critical conditions in hospitals; some of them will be transferred to Ondo for brain operations. Over 100 people have not been found. If you come to Sabo you will think there was war, but all happened within three hours,” he explained.

Majority of those killed were gold and tourmaline miners trooping to Ilesha and Ife from Zamfara State and Niger Republic to stake their claims, he said.

When our correspondent visited the area, it was full of debris, from what used to be a monument of a community’s success stories. The once prosperous quarters now wear a scary and gory look. Some of the northerners who were not permanent residents of Ile-Ife were moving out of the town while the original inhabitants of Sabo remained there even though they have no place to sleep since their houses have been razed. No commercial activity is going on around the town, which is currently dominated by security men drawn from the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of the State Services (DSS).

Nasidi, however, said calm has returned and the people who had fled to Ondo, Ibadan and the North were making their way back to Ife.

“My family is in Mariri in Kano, but they will return on Monday,” he said.

‘Real Reason We Were Attacked’

Leaders of the Hausa community in Sabo Ife have linked Wednesday’s hostility on the community to an ongoing land tussle between a section of the Yoruba in Ile-Ife and inhabitants of the Sabo community, over ownership of the area.

They claimed the violence meted out on them was orchestrated to force them out of the place, which they said had been settled by their grandparents.

According to the Majidadin Sarkin Hausawan Sabo Ife, the contest over the ownership of the land, which the Sabo community sits, was presently before a Court of Appeal sitting in Akure. He said when the attempt to remove the Hausa community first reared its head during the reign of the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the revered traditional ruler waded into it and supported the Hausa to stay.

“The late Ooni vowed that nobody would take over the place from us as all the lands in Ife belonged to him. We thought that had settled the matter until the family that is dragging the matter with us came back three years later with an eviction notice from a High Court in the state. When we informed the late Ooni, he expressed his anger about it and advised us to appeal since the matter had gone to court. Not only that, he sent his lawyer to support our case.

“The case has been on at the Appeal Court in Akure and we are suspecting that the attack on our people was instigated because the other party in the matter has no hope that they would win the case,” he explained.

Nasidi said they couldn’t understand why somebody would be interested in removing them from a place they have been occupying for generations. “I was born here and my mother who died two years ago at the age of 80 was also born here. The Hausa people have been living in Ile-Ife, specifically, the Sabo area for close to 200 years now,” he said.

When Daily Trust on Sunday visited the residence of the Sarkin Hausawan Ile-Ife, Alhaji Mamuda Madagadi, it was gathered that he was on admission at the hospital, receiving medical treatment because of his health condition. In a previous interview with journalists, the Sarki said the incident was not a clash as it was being reported, explaining that it was an attack on the northerners in Ile-Ife.

‘We will deal with you’

Members of the Sabo community have accused some thugs in the town of referring to them as strangers and using threatening words against them, all in an effort to scare them out of the area.

Speaking about the touts, a prominent northerner in Ile-Ife, Alhaji Saidu Hussaini, alleged: “Whenever there is a slight issue, they would talk to us in a harsh manner and threaten to deal with us. The issue of the land dispute is very correct. In fact, the matter is at the Appeal Court now. They are very hostile to the Hausa people and we have been tolerating them because we know Nigeria belongs to all of us and we are in our country.”

When our correspondent visited the palace of the Oooni of Ife, it was gathered that the monarch embarked on a foreign trip after the incident. An indigene of Ile-Ife who preferred anonymity, said the monarch left the country when he was sure that normalcy had returned and there was peace in Ife.

“Kaabiesi needed to travel out. The journey had been planned a long time ago before the crisis happened. And since there is peace now with the help of the state government and the security agencies, Kaabiesi had to proceed on his trip,” he said.

Afenifere, OPC, Others Oppose Arrest of Suspected Masterminds

The police investigation team sent to Ile-Ife by the Inspector General of Police Abubakar Idris and led by a commissioner of police, Mr. Hammed Bello, has not disclosed its findings so far. Sources

After about two hours, “soldiers and MOPOL (antiriot police)” were deployed, he said.

“But under the three hours that the violence raged, over 40 people were killed and more than 100 houses, 30 cars and 300 motorcycles burnt,” the traditional title holder said.

“On Friday (he spoke Thursday night), we buried over 46. There are still bodies in the bush. Over 30 are in critical conditions in hospitals; some of them will be transferred to Ondo for brain operations. Over 100 people have not been found. If you come to Sabo you will think there was war, but all happened within three hours,” he explained.

Majority of those killed were gold and tourmaline miners trooping to Ilesha and Ife from Zamfara State and Niger Republic to stake their claims, he said.

When our correspondent visited the area, it was full of debris, from what used to be a monument of a community’s success stories. The once prosperous quarters now wear a scary and gory look. Some of the northerners who were not permanent residents of Ile-Ife were moving out of the town while the original inhabitants of Sabo remained there even though they have no place to sleep since their houses have been razed. No commercial activity is going on around the town, which is currently dominated by security men drawn from the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Department of the State Services (DSS).

Nasidi, however, said calm has returned and the people who had fled to Ondo, Ibadan and the North were making their way back to Ife.

“My family is in Mariri in Kano, but they will return on Monday,” he said.

‘Real Reason We Were Attacked’

Leaders of the Hausa community in Sabo Ife have linked Wednesday’s hostility on the community to an ongoing land tussle between a section of the Yoruba in Ile-Ife and inhabitants of the Sabo community, over ownership of the area.

They claimed the violence meted out on them was orchestrated to force them out of the place, which they said had been settled by their grandparents.

According to the Majidadin Sarkin Hausawan Sabo Ife, the contest over the ownership of the land, which the Sabo community sits, was presently before a Court of Appeal sitting in Akure. He said when the attempt to remove the Hausa community first reared its head during the reign of the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, the revered traditional ruler waded into it and supported the Hausa to stay.

“The late Ooni vowed that nobody would take over the place from us as all the lands in Ife belonged to him. We thought that had settled the matter until the family that is dragging the matter with us came back three years later with an eviction notice from a High Court in the state. When we informed the late Ooni, he expressed his anger about it and advised us to appeal since the matter had gone to court. Not only that, he sent his lawyer to support our case.

“The case has been on at the Appeal Court in Akure and we are suspecting that the attack on our people was instigated because the other party in the matter has no hope that they would win the case,” he explained.

Nasidi said they couldn’t understand why somebody would be interested in removing them from a place they have been occupying for generations. “I was born here and my mother who died two years ago at the age of 80 was also born here. The Hausa people have been living in Ile-Ife, specifically, the Sabo area for close to 200 years now,” he said.

When Daily Trust on Sunday visited the residence of the Sarkin Hausawan Ile-Ife, Alhaji Mamuda Madagadi, it was gathered that he was on admission at the hospital, receiving medical treatment because of his health condition. In a previous interview with journalists, the Sarki said the incident was not a clash as it was being reported, explaining that it was an attack on the northerners in Ile-Ife.

‘We will deal with you’

Members of the Sabo community have accused some thugs in the town of referring to them as strangers and using threatening words against them, all in an effort to scare them out of the area.

Speaking about the touts, a prominent northerner in Ile-Ife, Alhaji Saidu Hussaini, alleged: “Whenever there is a slight issue, they would talk to us in a harsh manner and threaten to deal with us. The issue of the land dispute is very correct. In fact, the matter is at the Appeal Court now. They are very hostile to the Hausa people and we have been tolerating them because we know Nigeria belongs to all of us and we are in our country.”

When our correspondent visited the palace of the Oooni of Ife, it was gathered that the monarch embarked on a foreign trip after the incident. An indigene of Ile-Ife who preferred anonymity, said the monarch left the country when he was sure that normalcy had returned and there was peace in Ife.

“Kaabiesi needed to travel out. The journey had been planned a long time ago before the crisis happened. And since there is peace now with the help of the state government and the security agencies, Kaabiesi had to proceed on his trip,” he said.

Afenifere, OPC, Others Oppose Arrest of Suspected Masterminds

The police investigation team sent to Ile-Ife by the Inspector General of Police Abubakar Idris and led by a commissioner of police, Mr. Hammed Bello, has not disclosed its findings so far. Sources

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