Trader kills customer during price negotiation

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

PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident occurred at Ikonne’s residence on Afro Close, Afromedia Estate, Okokomaiko, Lagos.

Our correspondent learnt that Ikonne sold electronic appliances at the 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.

Our correspondent 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.

Ikonne had also reportedly invited the deceased to his house to buy his second-hand 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.

During interrogation, the suspect explained that he had asked Yaya to either pay N5, 000 or assist him to return the commodity to where they brought it from but Yaya had refused. Ikonne added that he felt insulted by this attitude.

He said, “I had not met the young man before. I met him that morning at the Alaba market, and asked him to buy one of my appliances: an air conditioner. He actually looked like a cart pusher. When we got home, we both went in to remove the product, and we brought it outside for negotiation.

“As we continued, he said he would pay less than N5, 000. I replied that he should assist me to return it to where we took it from, but he refused. In the process, we started fighting. He even asked me to pay him for helping me bring it out. I was mad, and I hit his belly with a plank.

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

Our correspondent gathered that it was one of 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 Ikonne.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said he would call our correspondent back on the matter. He, however, had yet to do so as of press time.

Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered that Ikonne had been transferred to the State Criminal Investigations Department, Yaba, and he would be charged to court soon.