Tension as soldiers attack Challenge phone market in Ilorin

Shop owners, motorists and shop owners were on Monday evening fled for safety at challenge, Post office and Unity area of Ilorin, when men of the Nigerian Air force went on rampage, shooting sporadically into the air.

The Informant247 gathered that officers from the 303 medium Airlift group Ilorin allegedly attacked sellers at the popular challenge phone market, beating, harassing and destroying goods belonging to the sellers in what appeared to be a retaliation for the alleged beating up of their colleague by some unidentified people.

An eyewitness, while giving an account of the incident, said that the attack and destruction of goods by men of the Nigerian Air force was over a disagreement that happened between and an air officer and phone seller at Challenge last Saturday.

He said that the trouble started when a customer in company of some air force officers who sold a phone two weeks ago came back to the buyer that he is not selling the phone again, but the buyer said in such situations the customer will add money before they could get the phone back.

This allegedly infuriated the air force officer who stabbed the phone dealer, but the officer was attacked by people around and later apprehended with the help of the police.

However the officers came back to the market around round 3:30pm in retaliation, to attacked the phone sellers and destroyed their goods .

Chairman, Challenge market under the aegis of Challenge Association of Traders, Telecommunications and Allied Dealers Muritadoh Yusuf Mulat, while reacting to the incident, said that the officers came into the market this evening, attacking traders, destroying their goods and also carting away some phones while shooting sporadically in the air.

While narrating the incident, he said “One of our customer came here two weeks ago to sell is phone and one of our guys here bought it and he was paid, ten days later the guy that sold the phone came with some set of airforce to our market (challenge) which is on Saturday to come and claim the phone that they are no more selling it.

“The buyer of the phone said he can’t release the phone unless they pay additional money which is normal, another person explain to those airforce that since the phone wasn’t brought for borrowing money it can’t be sold for the amount bought.

“One of the airforce came from behind and start beating our people to the extent that 2 of our members was stab but we thanks God they are responding to treatment, with the help of police of the air force was arrested on that Saturday afternoon.

“Today about five set of airforce came to our market again they started breaking people show glass carting away some phone and gadget shooting sporadically into the air and people scampering for safety.

“We are set of young people who carried out our daily activities legitimately and we are law abiding citizen,” he said.

However, the chairman called on the Kwara state Governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, and the Chief of Air staff Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao to come to its aid over what he described as continuos harassment, attacks and destruction of properties by men of the Nigerian Air force in Ilorin.