There was pandemonium at the popular GSM market located at the Ogbunabali axis of Port Harcourt when a vigilante, on Wednesday evening, shot dead a man who dealt in handsets and GSM accessories.
This incident was coming less than 48 hours after a bus driver was shot dead by an operative of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) at the Ada Goerge part of Port Harcourt.
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An eyewitness told our reporter that trouble started when the middle-aged man was accosted by the vigilante as he made his way to his shop to collect phone accessories for a customer.
According to him, a heated argument broke out between the deceased and the vigilante over the deceased’s mission to the market.
The witness said that all the pleas made by the deceased to the vigilante to allow him open his shop fell on a deaf ear as the latter insisted that the former should move out of the shop.
“The deceased was an innocent man that had a shop in the market. One of his customers had asked him to get him some stuff from his shop. As he got to his shop, he was confronted by the vigilante who had queried him on his mission to the market. The deceased’s explanation that he wanted to open his shop and collect some items for his customer fell on deaf ears.
“The deceased’s insistence on opening the shop and the vigilante’s refusal to let him have his way led to a heated argument and he was shot instantly. After shooting him, the vigilante shot sporadically in the air and made his way out of the market,” he said.
The incident caused pandemonium at Ogbunabali area and the adjoining streets such as the Garrision flyover as residents and passersby ran for safety.
Many drivers along the stretch of Ogbum nu Abali and Port Harcourt-Aba road were said to have abandoned their vehicles and escaped, while others tried to reverse to where they were coming from.
The confusion that ensued caused serious traffic in all adjoining roads to the area including the Port Harcourt – Aba expressway around the Garrison flyover.
Efforts made by our reporter to speak with the State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Nnmadi Omoni, on the matter proved abortive as neither did answer his calls nor respond to a text message sent to him on the matter.
