Market Go Wrong: Alaba Trader Kills Customer During Price Negotiation

Late Yaya

The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a trader, Mr. Lawrence Ikonne, for allegedly killing a buyer, Isa Yaya, because the deceased bargained over the price of a commodity, Punch reports.

The incident occurred at Ikonne’s residence on Afro Close, Afromedia Estate, Okokomaiko, Lagos. Ikonne is a trader selling electronic appliances at Alaba International Market, Ojo, Lagos. It was learnt that the victim, 22-year-old Yaya, from northern Nigeria, had gone to Ikonne’s apartment to buy a fairly used air conditioner.

Yaya, it was said, usually bought and re-sold condemned iron and electrical materials. Punch gathered that Ikonne, 26, from the Isiala-Ngwa South Local Government Area of Abia State, had gone to Alaba market on the morning of Friday, October 10, where he first met Yaya, then invited him to his house to buy his fairly used air conditioner.

When they got to the house, it was said that the two of them went inside a room to bring out the commodity, and they started haggling over the price. It was gathered that Yaya insisted on buying the air conditioner below N5, 000- a price which did not go down well with Ikonne.

As the haggling continued, a fight was said to have ensued between the two which turned violent during which Ikonne allegedly hit Yaya with a plank in the belly.

When Ikonne realised he had fainted, I tied him with a rope and dragged him into a corner Then fled the house.

Ikonne’s co-tenants who noticed Yaya’s corpse where he was tied up. He then raised the alarm, and reported the case to the Okokomaiko police station. The policemen later came to arrest.