At least two people were critically injured and hospitalized at the Federal Mefical Centre Umuhia, while one other sustained minor injury as two rival market unions clashed at Umuopara Palm Oil Beach Market in Umuahia South Local Government Area of Abia State.
According to Daily Post, the two rival groups, Palm Oil Association of Nigeria and United Palm Oil Dealers Association, have been battling for the leadership of the market as well as who should control the market’s revenue collections since August 2023.
It was gathered the rift worsened on Thursday when the two rival associations engaged each other in a violent clash, which landed three members of United Palm Dealers Association in hospital, with two of them in critical state.
The names of those in critical condition are Kingsley Onyemuche and Peter Anyanwu while the next injured trader is Monday Ogunka.
While Kingsley Onyemuche and Peter Anyanwu were admitted to the Casualty and Emergency Ward of the FMC, Umuahia, because of the severity of their injuries, Monday Ogunka was admitted to another department, as his own injury was said to be minimal.
Those in critical conditions were kept on the floor of the hospital because of lack of bed space and infused with drugs to stabilize them.
It was learnt that trouble started in the market on Thursday afternoon when the two groups contested who should collect revenue from a Jos, Plateau State-bound truck loaded in the oil market with palm oil.
While one group said it was its right to collect the revenue, another group said it should collect the money and mobilised its men to lock the gate of the market so as to prevent the loaded truck from leaving the market.
An eyewitness who craved anonymity, disclosed a group of miscreants allegedly mobilised by one Chima Ukaegbu, the interim chairman of the market, arrived at the scene and descended on the members of the United Palm Oil Dealers Association, beating and kicking them mercilessly.
The eyewitness, who claimed that the interim chairman, is a relative of a top official of Abia State Government, further said that the invading thugs beat three members of their rivals to coma, leaving in two of them unconscious on the spot before being rushed to the FMC.
He added that the clash created panic in and around the market as many traders locked their shops and fled, while customers that came to buy goods, also ran away.
A similar clash was prevented in September 2023, when the two groups accused each other of threatening the peace of the market.
Efforts to hear from the interim Chairman, Chima Ukaegbu on the ugly development was not successful.
