At Umuopara Palm Oil Beach Market in Umuahia South LGA of Abia State, two rival market unions got into a fight that left two people gravely injured and admitted to the Federal Medical Centre, FMC Umuahia.
Since August 2023, the Palm Oil Association of Nigeria and the United Palm Oil Dealers Association have been at odds over who should oversee the market’s income collections and who should be the market’s leader.
However, on Thursday, a violent altercation between the two competing groups sent three members of the United Palm Dealers Association to the hospital, two of whom were critically wounded.
Kingsley Onyemuche and Peter Anyanwu are the names of those in serious condition, while Monday Ogunka is the next injured merchant.
Due to the severity of their circumstances, Kingsley Onyemuche and Peter Anyanwu were brought to the FMC, Umuahia’s Casualty and Emergency Ward, while Ogunka was sent to a different department since his injuries were deemed to be minor.
Due to a shortage of beds, those in serious circumstances were kept on the hospital floor and given medication injections to help them stay stable.
News About Nigeria reports that conflict arose at the market on Thursday afternoon about who was entitled to receive money from a truck carrying palm oil that was headed for Jos, Plateau State.
While one group said that it had the right to collect the revenue, another stated that it ought to do so and organise its men to lock the market’s gate to prevent the loaded truck from leaving.
However, an eyewitness who begged to remain anonymous claimed that several thugs who had been reportedly incited by the market’s temporary chairman, Chima Ukaegbu, had shown up at the site and attacked the United Palm Oil Dealers Association members, viciously punching and kicking them.
The eyewitness continued, saying that the invading thugs beat three members of their rivals into a coma, causing two of them to lose consciousness immediately before being taken to the FMC.
The eyewitness also stated that the temporary chairman is related to a high-ranking official of the Abia State Government.
He continued by saying that the altercation spread fear throughout the market, causing several vendors to lock up and leave, and customers who had come to make purchases to disperse as well.
When the two parties accused one another of endangering the market’s tranquillity in September of this year, a similar confrontation was avoided.
