A popular market along the SARS Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State has been shut following the k!lling of a man identified as Ejike by a group of meat sellers allegedly from the North
Punch Metro gathered that the incident occurred around 11am on Sunday, following a disagreement over N500.
Eyewitnesses in the Obio/Akpor International Market, popularly called Amaechi Market, told Punch correspondent on Tuesday that the attackers, numbering over 20, st*bbed Ekije multiple times with daggers.
Some traders in the market, mostly women, said they were too scared to intervene, adding that a yet-to-be-identified man who tried to rescue Ejike was also stabbed in the ribs and is currently in critical condition in the hospital.
Punch correspondent learnt that peeved by the development, the women began mobilising on Monday and protested at the Obio/Akpor council headquarters to register their displeasure and fears, calling on the council chairman to intervene.
The protesting women said they no longer felt safe in the market due to the violent activities of the traders, who they also accused of dealing in illicit drugs behind the market.
One of the women, who refused to be identified, said, “One man is de.ad, and the person who tried to rescue Ejike is in the hospital in a coma. These people should leave our market for us so that peace can reign. Now, the market has been shut down because of what happened,
“So, we want peace. Women have been crying since Sunday that this boy was st*bbed. More than 20 of them confronted this boy. It was a small issue, and they started pursuing the boy. He fell down, and they started st*bbing him. It was on Sunday, so not everybody came to the market. They said they were dragging N500.”
The chairman of the market, C.P. Oburu, who said he was informed about the incident while in church, told PUNCH Metro that he was pronounced de.ad at a hospital in the area.
He said, “When I got the call while I was in church, I ran to the scene of the crime and discovered that he (Ejike) was not having life in him. The doctor confirmed him dead when we rushed him to the hospital.
“From there, we went to the police. I met the Divisional Police Officer, who said we should take the body to the mortuary and gave us a patrol team. We returned. This morning, the market women staged a protest at the council.”
He confirmed that the local government authority and the police had since sealed the market and made some arrests, saying the market would remain closed until further notice.
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Wicked world
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