The government of Oyo State has shutdown Bodija market in Ibadan for security reasons, following a clash between police and butchers on Thursday.
According to the verified twitter handle of the Oyo State Government, @oyostategovt, it was shut after gunshots were heard in the market.
“This is an aftermath of the sporadic shooting which occurred earlier today in the market and its environs,” the government said.
“The Aare Laatosa LCDA chairman, Adekunle Oladeji said the closure is to prevent the loss of lives and property of the citizenry. It is also to guard against the escalation of the violence in the market to other parts of the state.”
The violence is believed to be between butchers and the police following a government directive.
PREMIUM TIMES reported the repeated warnings by the state government for all butchers to move to a newly created central abbatoir and leave the various markets where they used to be.