…Says, ‘he returned car parts sold, claiming they were expensive

• Save us from incessant harassment by Military personnel- Traders cry out

• Military personnel involved should be brought to account-civil society

By Evelyn Usman

Commercial activities at the popular Ladipo market, in Mushin area of Lagos, went on as usual, Tuesday, with truck pushers conveying different motor parts from one end of the market to the other,  with  owners of the goods  leading  the way to  where  their  vehicles were either parked  or  to bus-stop where they boarded buses to their destinations.

There were disturbing noises from young men commonly referred to as hustlers, who tried to outsmart each other in the game of luring visitors to patronize their bosses.

Then all of a sudden, an incident that brought an abrupt halt to these activities occurred!

Sound of sporadic gunshots rented the air. The entire  market was thrown into a state of fear and tumult.  Traders abandoned their shops and wares   as they scampered in different directions  to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

Visitors who went in pairs to buy parts for their vehicles, went different ways in the stampede.

The killing 

The gunshots were being fired at the Aguiyi Ironsi plaza wing.  Some bullets hit some traders, killing one of them  on the spot. The deceased, identified as Felix Nnana Onu, was  hit by a bullet  in his lower abdomen. His body was deposited at Isolo General Hospital morgue. Three others: Ifeanyi Eyin, Makwo Ekwula and Chikezie  Okechukwu were also hit by bullets, while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the confusion.

Starling discoveries

There  had been  different versions of reports in the media on how trouble started.  But Crime Guard was able to contact  the  trader at the centre of controversy, who has been into hiding since the incident occurred, apparently out of fear of being arrested .

  Surprisingly, the  trader identified simply as Uche, is from the same state as the soldier that called in his colleagues who opened fire on  traders.

 It was also gathered that the soldier who is serving in Uyo, Akwa-Ibom state, was once an apprentice to the father of the trader he (soldier ) had an argument that degenerated into an unfortunate scenario at the market. In fact , he was said to have served Uche’s father for  over five years.

It was also learnt that the soldier identified simply as Alhaji,  from  Agatu Local Government Area   of Benue  state, is also a car dealer in Uyo.    Uche has been assisting him to  purchase  car parts.

Things fall apart

 However, things fell apart between the soldier and Uche last year, on the purchase of some vehicle parts.

In this interview, 32-year-old Uche  revealed the exact cause of the incident that led to the shootings in the market.

Hear him: “ About September last year, he (soldier) bought one side of  the Spider Jeep  with a fork lamp. He also bought a bumper. Everything  was N98,000. I did the waybill to him , from Lagos  to Uyo.

“ The next day,  he called  to say that the items were expensive.  He said he would send them back to me.  I told him  we  agreed on the price before he sent money to me. I also made him understand  that I have been sending  goods to him before, without argument.

Before then,  I had sent a gearbox for a Fore Runner jeep, steering ram for  Avalon  and Lexus 350. That was  the third time I  was  transacting  business  with him.

The difficulties

“ I  told him  if  he sent the goods, it would  be difficult  to get his  money back. This was because  I sell motor engines, I don’t sell body parts. Two days later he sent the goods  back to me.

“ But at the park, I discovered that  the bumper had torn. It wasn’t the same way I gave it to him. I called him on the phone and informed  him that the bumper was torn and that I won’t pick it up at the park.  He told me to take it and do whatever I wanted with it. But I insisted I was going to leave it there.  But I ended up going with all the items.

Argument

“ When I got  to the market , he called me on the phone and demanded his money .  I told him I was  just getting  to the market.  He  hung up on me and never called again.

“He  called my dad around January  2021. My dad told him to forget about the matter that he was going to pay him.. Since then,  he did not call me again, until on Tuesday, when he  came to the shop  to demand for his N98,000.

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“I was shocked when I saw him at the market because  I thought my father had settled  him .  I had forgotten about the money and it was no longer   in my   record.

I tried to calm him but he  would not listen. He started shouting. That was  why I asked him to go to the union.  He did not wear a uniform. He was in mufti.  When he got to the office , he kept shouting until things went awry. I had to escape.

“He  came from Uyo, where he is serving.  He buys accidented cars and sells them  in Uyo. I don’t know what came over him. I believe   the torn bumper  caused everything”.

The showdown

 The soldier as gathered, stormed out of the union’s office, only to return with an OP MESSA  Hilux van, in which was a team of AirForce personnel.  An attempt to forcefully take one of the traders away was resisted by his colleagues.

The traders were said to have come out to resist further intimidation by the Military personnel, thereby leading to the sporadic shootings that left one of them  dead.

 Reactions

Reactions have been trailing what was described as highhandedness on the part of  the  Military personnel, with calls to the federal government and Military authorities to probe the matter.

One of them is from  the  Executive Director, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre , RULACC Mr Okechukwu Nwagunma.

He called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu  to order an investigation into the matter  with a view to unraveling the circumstances and  identifying the perpetrators.

He said, “  All the military personnel responsible should be brought to account. The victims should also be accorded adequate remedies while steps should be taken to avoid a repeat of such reckless and shameful episodes.

 ”The role of the military in a civilised democracy is clearly spelt out and does not include meddling in civil matters. The arms given to the military and purchased with tax payers money are given to them to protect the territorial integrity of Nigeria and not to use them to kill their fellow citizens whom they are employed and paid to protect.

 This latest action underscores the impunity that continues to fuel willful, unjustifiable, illegal and excessive use of force by security forces against civilians. Otherwise, why would the military, so soon again, be involved in yet another incident of the use of live bullets on unarmed civilians while investigations are yet to be concluded into the similar use of deadly force against protesters at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos in October 2020?

Air Force reacts

The  Director of  Public Relations  and Information ,Nigerian AirForce, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, when contacted,  disclosed that the  team that went to the market had been taken to the Logistics Command of the Nigerian  Air Force for interrogation.

 He explained that “  We were told that  an Army personnel and a civilian  friend of his  went to Ladipo market  to confront someone that was alleged to be owing  the  Army personnel. While at the market , an argument started and they started exchanging blows.

“The soldier was subdued, the civilian ran out to look for assistance. He  saw some Air Force personnel on patrol. He beckoned on  them that a soldier was under attack

“When they got  to the scene  to contain  the fight, the traders  started  hauling  stones at   them. Along the line,  one of the traders attempted to snatch a rifle from one of  the  Air Force  personnel. He succeeded,  snatched the rifle and attempted to shoot our personnel. The Army soldier  was able to collect the rifle and opened fire on the traders.

“The Nigerian Air  Force personnel that were in that market did not really kill anybody. The Army soldier who collected the rifle that was snatched   from OP MESSA, opened fire in self defense.

“Our Base Commander was able to calm the situation. He visited the scene. Those involved have been arrested and are under investigation. We heard only one person was shot . Investigation is however ongoing”.

Army mum

 But the Nigerian Army has remained mum since the incident happened. When Vanguard contacted Army authorities in Lagos, they simply stated that their personnel was not involved in the shooting spree  but the Air Force’s.

The Police, on their part, said they were still investigating the matter. The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Police Command, CP Hakeem Odumosu, Wednesday, told journalists at the command headquarters, Ikeja, that no life was lost in the fracas.

His response was frowned at, as most traders said some policemen who rushed to the scene when the Military personnel were shooting, saw the corpse of one of the traders in the pool of his blood.

At the Thursday night, no official move had been made to address the issue, whether from the state government or concerned authorities. As at Thursday, no Military team has visited the market to investigate the matter, or visited any family member of the slain trader or those in the hospital. Crime Guard however gathered that the Air Officer Commanding Logistics Command, AirForce met with leaders of the market on the day of the incident, with a rescheduled meeting for an undisclosed day.

There are fears that the situation could lead to a graver one , if  measures are not taken to calm frail nerves and address what traders at Ladipo market described as molestation by Military personnel, as they have threatened to stop selling auto parts to Military personnel.

Vanguard News Nigeria