A yet- to- be identified soldier has stabbed a trader identified as Yusuf and nicknamed Tino to death at Sheiekh Abubakar Gumi Central Market in Kaduna.
The said soldier was said to have been attacked and injured by angry mob but he escaped being hacked to death.
30 -year-old trader, who dealt in shoes, was said to have been stabbed twice by the soldier and he bled to death.
An eyewitness, Saad Lawal, told newsmen that trouble started brewing at the entrance of the market when the deceased approached two soldiers, begging them to buy shoes from him.
According to Lawal: “We didn’t know what transpired between the three of them, we noticed all of a sudden that all of a sudden the soldier drew out a jackknife and stabbed the boy first in the stomach, the boy bent down in pain over there crying in pain.
“We thought that was all, but remove the knife again and stab him at the left side of his chest. Then, the boy fell down and started bleeding. You can see the blood spill on the road over there.
“Immediately, people were scampering for safety due to confusion. Many people started closing their shops, while others started packing their water.
“But, when people came back to their senses, they tried to block the soldier, he started threatening other people with the knife again, but some people were able to hold him from the back, his (soldier) colleague seized the knife from him.
“Then, the two soldiers ran through this direction and people ran after them. That is all I know,” he said.
Another eyewitness, who doesn’t want his name in the print said sympathizers immediately upon realizing the boy was dying chased the two soldiers and manage to apprehend the one who stabbed the man.
“The people who ran after the soldier injured him but he managed to escape.”
He said Yusuf was known for aggressive marketing and his approach might have upset the angry-looking soldier.
However, when our correspondent visited the scene, it was observed that, many traders around the section of the market closed down their shops for fear of the unknown.
Stain of late Yusuf’s blood were seen on the floor where he was said to have fallen after being stabbed.
It was also gathered the trader, who was rushed to Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital in Tudun-Wada area of Kaduna metropolis was pronounced dead at the hospital.