A 27-year-old trader has been stabbed to death by a yet-to-be-identified soldier in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on Saturday.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the trader, Mr. Ezeani Ebuka, was in heated argument with a group of soldiers when the incident occurred.
The incident, according to a source, happened at the Arakale area of the Ondo State capital city on Saturday evening.
The incident caused pandemonium in the area as traders along the axis mobilised themselves to protest what they described as an inhuman treatment meted out to one of them by men of the Nigerian Army, leading to the victim’s death.
The protesting traders alleged that some unknown soldiers had carried out the wicked act as one of them mobilised his colleagues to forcefully get a refund of money paid to the deceased for a service.
The source further stated that the altercation led to the death of the trader after being stabbed by one of the soldiers.
One of the traders who spoke with journalists alleged that the soldiers had beaten the trader and his family members into a coma before stabbing him to death.
The situation led to protest as the irate traders barricaded the Arakale axis of the road, stopping road users from plying the road, while commuters were stranded.
Policemen quickly took over the area to ensure that the issue did not escalate.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, confirmed the incident.
Odunlami-Omisanya said the Police can confirm the stabbing of a young man by a soldier in Akure.
According to PPRO, “The Command is in touch with the military authorities so that the culprit(s) can be identified and arrested.”
