Biggest market in Ekiti razed

The bloody clash between the drivers union and Hausa traders in Ado Ekiti on Friday escalated, with the popular  Erekesan Market being razed by  unknown arsonists.
The imposition  of the dusk-to-dawn curfew on Ado Ekiti metropolis by Governor Ayodele Fayose notwithstanding, the arsonists gained entry into the market about 2am and set the Lagos line, where children's wares are sold, and other shops within the area ablaze.
The adjoining residential buildings at Odo Otu Area of Ado Ekiti  , were also torched.
No fewer than 50 shops as well as two residential buildings were consumed along with goods worth several millions of Naira by the midnight fire.
It was learnt that men of the state fire services, who got wind of the arson made spirited efforts to put off the fire,  but to no avail.
As a result of the development, both official and commercial activities that were gradually picking up before Friday’s incident went down again as virtually all major streets were deserted
Meanwhile, governor Fayose has called on the State Police Commissioner, Mr Etop John James to deploy more policemen to
Post-Office-Oja Oba-Old garage area and the popular Atikankan spot, to prevent further havoc from being wreaked on property.
He has also taken a proactive measure by evacuating the Hausa traders from Sabo and Atikankan areas to Shasha, a market location dominated by Hausas along Ado-Ikere road.
Though the identities of those responsible for the act were yet to be made public as at press time, a good number of residents are
suspicious that enraged Hausa settlers whose shops and wares were either burnt or looted on Wednesday carried out the reprisal attack,
to avenge their losses.
But the Chief Press Secretary to the state governor, Mr. Idowu Adelusi told journalists  that the ongoing crisis might have assumed political

dimension as those who find it difficult to achieve the aim of impeaching the governor by all means may be hiding under it to perpetrate other evils to justify the declaration of a state of emergency.
When newsmen visited the burnt market in the early hours of the day, owners of the affected stalls were seen wailing and lamenting their
losses amidst heavy presence of armed soldiers and mobile men.
Based on the confusion created by the signal, as at  7.00am,  workers who were on their way to different places of work had to return home as police and soldiers had taken over all major roads.
Most schools in the city were closed down while those that opened before getting to know the situation in town, had to hurriedly send back school children to their different homes.
Rattled by the development, banks and other business outfits hurriedly closed to forestall being caught in the web .