At least one person has been confirmed to have been shot and killed by a military personnel, as traders and soldiers clash at a popular Lagos market in Lagos on Tuesday.
A Toyota Hilux vehicle was also set ablaze during the clash.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force, Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, who confirmed the clash between traders and soldiers at the popular market, and also the death of one person.
He said: “Firstly, NAF personnel did not kill anyone. Moreover, it was one person that died not three. The information we have at the moment is that the NAF operatives who are attached to OPs MESA received a distress call that a soldier was having an issue with a debtor.
“So, they moved in to restore peace but as soon as some of the traders saw them, they started attacking them. They threw stones at them and destroyed the windscreen of the patrol vehicle.
“They attacked a soldier and seized his pistol. So, the soldier who was having issues with a debtor trader managed to retrieve the seized pistol and fired a shot in order to free himself and the operatives from the crowd. It was that gunshot that killed one of the traders.
“Two of our operatives sustained injuries. The information we have at the moment is that our men acted professionally and were only in the market to ensure peace giving the economic importance of the market to Lagos State and our country as a whole.
“Despite this account, we are going to investigate the incident to know what really happened. We will get to the root of the matter and if any of our operatives is found to have acted otherwise, they would be sanctioned accordingly.”