There was pandemonium at the Sheikh Abubakar Gumi Central Market, Kaduna, on Thursday as a yet-to-be-identified soldier allegedly stabbed a shoe seller to death.
The soldier, according to an eyewitness, narrowly escaped being lynched.
He was, however, beaten up by traders in the market.
The incident was said to have created confusion as many ran helter-skelter.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Yakubu Sabo, confirmed the incident to our correspondent on the phone.
Sabo said the incident involved four soldiers, three of whom were at large.
He identified the slain trader as Yusuf.
An eyewitness, who simply identified himself as Lawal, said trouble started when the deceased trader approached the soldiers to advertise his shoes.
He said no one could say what transpired between the soldiers and the trader, as one of the soldiers pulled out a jackknife and stabbed the victim on his stomach.
“Immediately other traders saw what happened, they pursued and held the one that stabbed the boy and beat him thoroughly,” Lawal said.
The Secretary of the Sheikh Gumi Central Market Union, Alhaji Aliyu Shuaibu(Fancy), who also confirmed the incident, said the soldier was rescued and taken to an undisclosed hospital in the metropolis.
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He said immediately the incident occurred, market officials, not wanting the incident to escalate, put a call to security officials, including the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan.
The police spokesman said the soldier at the centre of the incident was brought in unconscious and that he was being treated while investigation was ongoing.
Sabo said, “There was such an incident today(Thursday) involving a group of four soldiers. The soldiers had a misunderstanding with a trader called Yusuf at the Sheikh Abubakar Gumi Central Market which resulted in one of the soldiers removing his jackknife and stabbing the said Yusuf.
“He(Yusuf) was rushed to the Yusuf Dantsoho Specialist Hospital but later confirmed dead. One of the soldiers was arrested and he is currently undergoing investigation, while the other three are still at large.”