By Abimbola  Akindunbi & Tola Gbadamosi
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The Deji of Akure’s palace has dissociated itself from the last Friday temporary seal off  of  the popular Olukayode shopping complex located in Akure metropolis.

Speaking on behalf of the Deji of Akure, the monarch’s spokesman and Chief of Staff, Chief  Toyin Aladetoyinbo, yesterday told The Hope Metro  that the monarch did not give anybody the directive to seal off  the complex.

It will be recalled that the shopping  centre, including the Igbo jewellery and undies market in the vicinity of the popular Oja-oba market, were sealed off with traditional palm fronts, following a pandemonium which broke out on Thursday between some Igbo traders and some hoodlums in front of the complex.

But  Aladetoyinbo said,,”When the monarch heard about it, he was not happy at all. So, he immediately ordered  those who sealed it to reopen the complex  immediately.

When The Hope Metro contacted the Chairman of Telephone sellers in Olukayode shopping complex, Mr Charles Balogun, he said, “I was not around when it all started. But I was briefed by my people  that some boys in wheelbarrow outside Olukayode shopping complex fought.

“It was a misinformation that the fight was in Olukayode shopping complex. It has nothing to do with the complex in any way. Everything was a misinterpretation by people around because the fracas happened in front of Olukayode.

“There is a woman  called Erelu,  who is the head of the Erumole. She was out in the morning with some traditionalists carrying out the regular early morning chanting, when they saw the boys fighting.

“They actually thought the boys were from us in the complex. this  was why the complex was closed for six hours. But by the time we went to The Deji’s palace,  everything was resolved and the complex was reopened again.

“I didn’t know those boys. But I was made to understand that they  are  one of the wheelbarrow seller boys,  selling in front of Olukayode shopping complex.

It was further gathered that a group of young men who called themselves, “Alaye” came over to the place to fight another group.

An eyewitness, Mr Chidioke Uzoma, explained to The Hope Metro that it all started like a joke when  two people were engaged in a fight and suddenly, one  Ayomide Adelaja threw pure water on them.

“So, the water splashed on the goods in the wheelbarrow of one Chinedu Okafor’s, who was stationed infront of Olukayode shopping complex.

 “Thereafter, Ayomide Adelaja slammed a bottle of Coke on the Chinedu’s head. And the boy was immediately rushed to the hospital.

“Thereafter,  a  soldier in uniform arrived at the scene to save the situation by calming everybody down.

“After two hours,  Adelaja went to reinforce with some boys. That was how we got to know they were all cultists. They were  equipped with machetes as they came over to us at our business points to disturb us on what we knew nothing about.

“They were chanting, “Ile baba wa ni eleyi,”(This place is our father’s land), he said.

Uzoma, therefore, called on the appropriate authorities  to, as a matter of urgency, caution the boys, saying, the menace had become a regular occurrence.

“Anytime  any group needs to quarrel or settle their grievances now, they bring themselves to this location.

“After it happened on Thursday, we ran and left our goods, only to come  for them the following day when the boys were not around.