A yet-to-be-identified soldier allegedly stabbed a trader simply identified as Ebuka to death at the weekend at the Arakale market in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
City & Crime learnt that trouble started when the soldier, who was on mufti, stormed Arakale, a popular market dominated by Igbo traders, to buy a carpet.
A witness, who identified herself as Olayinka Bello, said the soldier in the company of his colleague came on Friday to patronise a female trader in the market.
Bello said the soldier bargained and decided to make a transaction but the money did not enter and the trader, who was a nursing mother, refused to release the item.
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“Following the refusal by the woman to release the item (carpet) because she had yet to receive the bank alert for the transaction, the soldier left with his colleague.
“By the time he came back today (Saturday) to collect the carpet he paid for, the woman said she couldn’t release it because the soldier paid less than what they both agreed on. She said she sold the carpet for N2,500 but the man sent N2000.
“This led to an argument and the soldier began to harass the woman. Sadly, a co-trader (Ebuka) who tried to intervene in the disagreement was stabbed in the stomach with a dagger by the soldier and he gave up before he was rushed to the hospital,” she said.
The unknown soldier was said to have immediately taken to his heels after realising the trader was dead. The incident, it was observed, led to a heavy protest on Arakale Street as fellow Igbo traders blocked the adjourning road to the market, to vent their anger over the killing of the trader.
The police spokesperson in the state, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, confirmed the incident, saying the command was already in touch with the military authorities to identify and produce the suspect.
“Yes, the police can confirm the stabbing of a young man by a soldier, and the command is in touch with the military authority so that the culprit(s) can be identified and arrested,” she said.
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