Man Stabbed to Death during Scuffle over Cow Leg

Omon-Julius Onabu in Asaba
Scuffle over the purchase of a cow leg has led to the death of a young man as he was allegedly stabbed to death by a co-meat seller at the popular Abraka market in Asaba, the Delta State capital yesterday.

THISDAY learnt that residents at the said market and Ogbe-Ilo, Asaba, where the victim worked as a butcher and meat seller, were thrown into confusion as the deceased, identified as Mr Akinola Saheed, was allegedly stabbed by another meat seller who is believed to be his kinsman.
The said Saheed, a father of two, reportedly met his untimely death at the abattoir when he went to buy meat to sell along with his kinsman, Mr. Aladi Abiodun, a meat seller at Ogbe-Osuwe in Asaba ended up fighting over one of the cow legs.

The tow men, it was learnt, are regarded by those who know then as “brothers” as they are said to both hail from the same town in Kwara State and were often seen going to the abattoir together.

An eyewitness account said that trouble started when a disagreement arose between the two traders over who would buy the cow leg from a common customer at the slaughterhouse.

THISDAY learnt that with the high cost of fish in Asaba and most parts of the state, most people have resorted to buying beef, but it was gathered that the capital city and environs have recently witnessed scarcity of cow meat at abattoir, leading to the scuffle in which Akinola, popularly called Ola, was stabbed to death with a butcher’s knife by his kinsman.

The said Ola and Abiodun were said to have been doing the business together for a long time with rancour, a fact that has left their customers and other kinsmen what might have come upon them during the brief moment of anger and madness yesterday.

Many sympathisers who besieged the meat selling point of late Ola at Ogbe- Osuwe cried bitterly over the death of their customer. One the customers, simply called ‘Mr Lanko’ a Yoruba man, wept openly as he recounted the virtues of the deceased.

He said: “I am still confused over the death of our brother Ola. I don’t know what come over them; two of them are brothers, they hail from the same place Kwara State. He would some time cut meat for me even though I don’t have money.

“They usually sold meat together. Some time the other boy would bring meat to Ola’s table to sell; they would also go to the market together but for today (Wednesday)……I don’t know why the cause of the fight at the Abraka Market to the extent of being stabbed to death by his own brother.

The state police spokesman, Mr. Andrew Aniamaka, who confirmed the report to newsmen in Asaba, said: “I can confirm that the incident actually happened. One Akin Sahid, 34 years, was stabbed to death at the slaughterhouse by one Aladi Abiodun, both men hail from Kwara State.”He said that the corpse of the deceased has been deposited at morgue at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Asaba mortuary while the suspect has been arrested for further investigation.