Fidelia Soriwei, Abuja
One person was killed and several vehicles damaged on Thursday after a confrontation between personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and traders at Chorbe Market in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The incident caused panic around the market and adjoining areas, with residents reportedly fleeing their homes as the confrontation escalated.
The dispute began during an attempt to enforce a weekly sanitation exercise at the market. Traders said market association officials had invited NSCDC personnel to ensure compliance with the exercise.
Some roadside traders, however, resisted the directive, arguing that their businesses were located outside the market and that they were not members of the traders’ association responsible for the sanitation exercise.
“Our shops are along the road, not inside the market. We told them we are not part of their sanitation exercise, but they insisted we must close,” one of the traders, Sani Musa, said.
Another trader, Mrs Grace John, alleged that the situation worsened after armed NSCDC personnel began confronting traders who refused to close their businesses.
“They came with guns and started threatening us. When some of the traders refused, they started shooting. One person was shot and, in the process, some hoodlums smashed the windscreens of vehicles parked along the road,” she said.
The shooting left one person dead, while another injured trader was taken to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
Several vehicles parked along the roadside were also damaged during the unrest. One vehicle owner, Ibrahim Yusuf, said his car was damaged while he briefly left it to purchase an item.
“I just parked my car by the roadside to buy something. Before I came back, they had smashed the windscreen. Who will pay for this now?” he asked.
The unrest quickly spread fear through nearby communities, with streets around Chorbe Market becoming deserted as residents moved into their homes and locked their doors.
The disturbance also affected adjoining areas including Apata, Alikazaure, Katako and Masalachi, extending towards Bauchi Road, where clashes have occurred in the past.
The circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting and the alleged involvement of NSCDC personnel could not be independently established at the time of filing the report.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Police spokesman, Alfred Alabo, were unsuccessful as his telephone line could not be reached.
