Some military officers on Monday, February 20 created a high-graded tension as they continue to indiscriminate shoot into the air, allegedly beating and destroying properties belonging to phone dealers at Challenge phone market, Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State.
The attack, according to a reliable source, was said to be a reprisal by officers from the 303 medium Airlift group Ilorin who avenged an earlier assault on a civilian by some unknown people at the market.
The source said officers purportedly destroyed properties worth millions of Naira including stores and several vehicles parked by the roadside.
One of the victims, Japan Links claimed that all his belongings were carted away during the clash with shop owners in retaliation of the attack against a civilian who came to buy an iPhone at the same price he sold it.
Earlier last Saturday, a man came to Challenge Market to sell iPhone XR for N75,000 to a dealer, sealing an agreement with the dealer that some of his documents and details on the phone should not be deleted but two days after the buyer found out that the seller didn’t come to retrieve the details. So, along the line, the dealer went ahead to delete all the documents on the phone when a customer indicated interest to buy the phone.
Chairman, Challenge market of Association of Traders, Telecommunications, Comrade Muritadoh Yusuf Mulat, confirmed to EVENTNG, noting that the officers stormed the market, attacking traders, destroying their goods and also carting away some with expensive phones, shooting intermittently.
A stray bullet allegedly fired the military officers
Contrary to the widespread report that the military personnel came to avenge the assault on one of their colleagues, Muritadoh clarified that the clash was between a phone dealer and a Yahoo boy (Internet Fraudster), who later invited the military officers to avenge the alleged assault on him.
“The first incident happened on Saturday. So, yesterday being Monday the officers came to Challenge Market and started beating and harassing shop owners. They also destroyed several properties. In fact, they used the opportunity to rob us. They stole several iPhones running into Hundred Million Naira (N100,000,000).
Show glass destroyes during the clash
“Yesterday, we dealt a huge economic blow as several shops were attacked including the store of our former chairman, Moshood Striker. Our shop were severely depleted.
“We hereby call on the state governor, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq to come to their rescue in order to ensure justice prevails.”
