Violence erupted at Oregbeni market in the Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area (L.G.A.) of Edo State on Thursday, April 2nd, 2020 as protesting garri buyers pounced on sellers in the market. They attacked and subdued the sellers to minimize the cost of garri, which had been hiked by over one hundred per cent above the normal price.

Following the partial lockdown imposed by Edo State Government as part of efforts to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, the price of gaari rose from N1, 600 to N2, 800 per plastic while a bag which was N8000 before now rose to between N12, 000 and N15,000.

The residents, who had remained indoors, went to the market only to find the prices of food items beyond their reach. Costs of food at road side canteens also rose from N100 a plate of rice to N150.

But the residents, angered by the sudden increase in the price of food items in the market, compelled the market women to reduce the prices.

The situation later became disorderly as more customers in the market gathered to protest the price hike and later pounced on the market women and beat them up.

When the violence broke out in the market, its women association quickly met and reversed the prices of all the foodstuffs to the old prices.

A resident of the community and an eyewitness, Mr. Osaze Okunbor, said that it was unfair for the market women to increase the price of foodstuffs, when they knew that people could not go to work again because of coronavirus lockdown.

It was a tug of war, we begged the market women but they claimed that they were selling what they bought. We wondered why the price of food items would suddenly go up within such a short period,

he said.

Okunbor said that lots of people in the community were happy by the action taken by the youths, which resulted in the price reversal of foodstuffs.

How can we survive as a country if we continue to treat ourselves this way? Tell me, is garri an imported food item that its price suddenly jumped up? I mean this is absolute rubbish,

he said.

The Edo State Police Command is yet to make any comment regarding the incident.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.