Trader kills man for "under-pricing" his goods

A trader at Alaba International Market Ojo,
Lawrence Ikonne has been arrested for allegedly
killing a buyer, Isa Yaya over the price of his
secondhand air conditioner.

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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 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

fornegotiation.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.