July 3, 2013
Corpses of the 10 traders murdered in Mugunu, Borno State by suspected Boko Haram members arrived at the Bodija Market in Ibadan North Local Government of Oyo State on Tuesday.
Their remains were first received by the executive of market union at about 2pm at the toll gate before being taken to the tension-filled market.
The traders were on a business trip to the state when they met their untimely death on Saturday.
On sighting the corpses, hundreds of traders, relatives of the deceased and sympathisers, who had gathered in the market, started weeping uncontrollably.
One of the survivors of the attack, Taoheed Adewuyi, 32, said, “They ( attackers) stopped us along the way and asked us to come down from our vehicle and lie down. They started shooting us one by one.
“I was shot but I was not badly injured. I fainted but later became conscious. I am lucky to be alive.
“One of them went into their vehicle and slaughtered one of us with a knife. The man that was slaughtered is called Ninalowo.
“He was slaughtered because they discovered that he was still breathing after they shot him. I shivered and almost cried out in shock; but I was lucky that I did not. They were Boko Haram members.
A trader, who identified himself simply as Emiola, said, “We cannot confirm the actual number of those who lost their lives. What we know is that 10 of our people were killed.”
The Babaloja of Oyo State, Chief Dauda Oladapo, urged the Federal Government to address the insecurity in the land.
Oladapo said, “This Boko Haram issue is really affecting us. Will government allow them to wipe all of us out? So many people have been killed.
“Prices of food and other agricultural produce that we get from the North have gone up astronomically because it is difficult to get them now as a result of the crisis.”
The Head of Hausa community at Bodija Market, Alhaji Isiyaka Hassan, urged the government to provide adequate security in the interest of the citizens.
The Bodija Food Market was shut on Monday as the traders mourned the murder of their colleagues
It will be recalled that four traders from the market were murdered in a similar circumstance by suspected Boko Haram members on May 5.
