Supporters of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party in Oyo State clashed at the popular Aleshinloye Market in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Sunday over drilling of borehole for the traders.

The market was recently gutted by fire.

Apart from the State Governor, Abiola Ajimobi, who promised to help the traders financially, other notable people in the state visited the traders and promised to help them. One of them was PDP governorship aspirant, Seyi Makinde, who said he would drill a borehole for the market to forestall future occurrence.

Makinde made good his promise by starting the project, but on Sunday, workers at the site of the project were allegedly attacked by some people, who also blocked the 70-foot borehole with stones and pebbles.

The attackers were alleged to have been sponsored by the Chairman of the South-West council area of the state, Mr. Taoheed Adeleke, under whose council the market falls. Eyewitnesses said hoodlums came in large numbers with cutlasses and other weapons.

The chairman, however, denied being involved in the attack, when he spoke with our correspondent on Monday.

Traders who spoke with our correspondent expressed dissatisfaction over the development.

Chairman of Fancy Section of the market, Mr. Rahman Olabamiji, said, “Yesterday (Sunday), Makinde brought an engine and started work on the borehole without demanding money from us. They were about to finish the borehole when some people stormed the market with weapons and blocked the borehole.”

In his response, Adeleke said, “The council was given an order by the governor to drill a borehole for the market and we chose a site. On Sunday, we went there to clear the debris, but found out that someone had instructed an engineer to drill another borehole at the market. When we could not identify the initiator, we invited the police who sent them away. We later got the news that Makinde was the initiator and I wondered why he did not inform us that he was doing such a project in the market. Nobody was attacked and no one went there with weapons. It was all lies.”