Journey of no return to Borno: Tears for 10 Oyo Boko Haram victims




 

If weeping could raise the dead, tears from hundreds of traders at Bodija Market, Ibadan, Oyo State capital,  on Tuesday, would certainly do. But the grief that trailed the death of ten traders, allegedly murdered by Boko Haram in Muguna, Borno State was not enough to wake the dead.

Even though the news of the slain traders  had been broken through a phone call by one of their customers on Friday, June 28,many of the traders were still thinking miracle could happen until they saw the bodies of the victims. The remains of the traders were delivered to their families who gathered at Egbeda Local Government Area of the state to collect them.


FOR SLAIN IBADAN TRADERS—Sympathisers and relations of the slain traders weep as their bodies arrive Ibadan. Photos: Dare Fasube.

 

Two colleagues of the victims, Alhaji Ibrahim Ademola and Taoheed Azeez, escaped the attack. The victims were said to have been slaughtered. One of them who initially survived the gun shots was said to have been butchered. The survivors were allegedly shot but pretended as if they were dead.
The victims were identified as  Emiola Akeem, one of the executives in the market, Seye Adegboyega, Jelili Popoola, Ojo Mosobalaje, Fatai Kareem and Femi Oyetunde. Others are Ninalowo Saheed, Saburu Lanlehin, Lekan Oladokun, Sola Adeoye and Nurudeen Lawal.
It was gathered that one of the victims was so dismembered that his corpse could not be carried from the scene of the attack. Sources  said it had started decomposing.


When Sunday Vanguard visited the market, many of the traders wore mournful looks. Most of the shops were under lock and key. Some of the traders slept  on benches while others stood in clusters to discuss the ugly incident. The case was worse at the beans and fish sellers sections of the market.
The market Public Relations Officer, Mr. Akeem Emiola, said the emergency rule imposed by the Federal Government in Borno State deceived the slain traders.

According the image maker of the market, the traders would not  have died  the market association had not lifted the ban on traveling to the North at one of their meetings following the emergency rule.


‘Emergency rule misled us’
He said, “When four of our members were killed on May 5, we banned traveling to the North by our members. But the emergency rule which government imposed deceived us. We thought that since the emergency rule was in operation, there would be security for our people. After the announcement of the emergency rule, our colleagues went there twice and came back without  harm. This last  was the third trip.”


Clamour for disintegration
When asked about his stance on the statement by some aggrieved people that if being together in the same country would be this costly and dangerous, it would be better if everybody goes on his own, he said the killing of the people and the insecurity was unbearable.”The best thing for us is to go our own way and they, too, go their own way. This kind of thing cannot continue.


FOR SLAIN IBADAN TRADERS—Sympathisers and relations of 10 Bodija Market traders killed at Mugunu in Borno State by members of Boko Haram weep as their bodies were brought back to Ibadan, Tuesday. Photos: Dare Fasube.

 

If I travel to Ghana or Cotonou, there is no security threat. I will be safe there. Citizens of other neighbouring countries respect our feelings, show love, and encourage togetherness but, the opposite is the case in a country I call my own. How can you explain a situation whereby people who we call our country men attack our people at 3pm. We have been saying it over and over again. Our responsibility as citizens is to find a job to do and not be a burden to government. The duty of  government is to provide security for us. But the government has failed in its own duty,” Emiola said.
“When four of our people were killed in May 5, we told our people not to go there again. That lasted four to five weeks. But, when we had another  meeting, our members said since emergency rule had been declared, we should continue with our business trips. We agreed. They went about two times and nothing happened. We thought that the imposition of the emergency rule would provide security for us, but, we were mistaken”. The interview with the Bodija Market PRO continued:
 
Why they killed our people
All they wanted to do was to scare us from trading so that their people(Hausa) would be bringing the goods down here. In the previous attack, they killed our people and collected the N11million, and, in this latest attack, they collected N22million from our people before slaughtering them. How would my people not say we should disintegrate?

We prevented reprisal attack
Some of our people were so grieved that they wanted to carry out  reprisal attack, but, we did not allow them because two wrongs cannot make a right. It is not the same Hausa that killed our people that are in Ibadan here. We can’t attack them. We won’t think like they think. We would show them that we are more civilized.


Rumour of protest
We won’t stage any protest. Our governor has been very good to us. It would be unfair to protest in Ibadan when the attack was not carried out here. It is the fault of the Federal Government and not our state governor, Governor Abiola Ajimobi. When those corpses were brought yesterday(Tuesday), the governor was not around but he sent his Commissioner and one Special Adviser.


Any future trips to the North?
What should we go and do in a place whose people tell you point blank that they don’t want you? Should we continue going there so that they can be killing us? We won’t go there again. When our people were attacked the first time, relatives of our people, even though, they did not relate with the deceased people while alive, accosted us asking  why  we sent their relatives to the battlefront? Up till now, we are still trying to explain to them that after the initial ban, these boys came to us saying they did not want  to die of hunger. When they go like that, they get some money in their pockets.
Effects of refusal to go for business trip


It won’t affect us much. The beans we buy there is just one out of other several varieties. They call it “Oloyin”(brown tasty beans) and it is not the only place that produces it. It is just that they produce more quantity than other places. We can get it elsewhere.


Culled from Vanguard

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