Tragedy struck the Mandillas area of Lagos Island on Wednesday as a dispute over N8,000 led to the death of a trader, Sodiq Ibrahim. Our correspondent gathered that Ibrahim was allegedly stabbed by his colleague, Ebuka Adindu, during an argument over sharing the money.
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The incident briefly disrupted commercial activities in the busy Balogun Market, with shops closing temporarily before resuming business on Thursday.
Contrary to circulating rumours of ethnic tension, the Lagos State Police Command dismissed claims of tribal involvement. Police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin said, “During the fight, one Ebuka Adindu from Abia State stabbed one Sodiq Ibrahim from Kogi State to death. The suspect also stabbed himself on the shoulder and became unconscious. He is currently under arrest in the hospital, where he is being treated. Investigation into the matter will be concluded, and he will be prosecuted after discharge.”
Both men were reportedly members of a group known as Oso Ahia, loosely translated from Igbo as “market hustlers,” who earn commissions by bringing customers into shops. Trouble reportedly began when a shop owner handed N8,000 to be shared between the two men.
A trader, Funmi Arewa, explained, “It was just two hustlers who usually bring customers to shop owners for commission. Both of them happened to bring the same customer, and the shop owner gave them N8,000 to share. That’s where the problem started. They began arguing over how to split the money, and in the middle of the fight, one of them stabbed the other. He probably didn’t mean to kill him, but sadly, the boy bled to death.”
Other traders corroborated this account and dismissed suggestions of a tribal conflict. Moshood, another trader, said, “The fight started and ended with the Oso Ahia boys over the sharing of the commission. Some traders have now decided that the Oso Ahia boys should no longer be welcomed in this market. As you can see, there is no problem today. Everything has gone back to normal. There’s no tribal issue here. It was money that led to the dispute.”
Abiola Shittu added that the temporary closure of shops on Thursday morning was part of a routine sanitation exercise, not a reaction to violence. He said, “It was the money that a customer gave them that led to the fight. What these guys do is take customers around the market, and in return, the customer tips them. The commission caused the argument, and they started stabbing themselves. Sadly, it was the Yoruba boy who died from the wound.”
Another trader, Chigozie, confirmed the altercation was purely about money. “The deceased stabbed the guy first with a bottle and ran away thinking he couldn’t catch him. Then the guy immediately pursued him with a knife and did the same to him, which led to him bleeding and later dying,” he recounted.
Traders said Wednesday’s incident marked the first violent episode in recent years in Balogun Market, and the market has since returned to normalcy.
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