Trader Killed in Dispute Over N8,000 Commission at Lagos Island Market

Footage from a video of the fracas at Mandillas, Lagos, on Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Details have emerged about the violent clash that claimed the life of trader Sodiq Ibrahim in the Mandillas area of Lagos Island on Wednesday. Ibrahim was allegedly stabbed to death by his colleague, Ebuka Adindu, during a dispute over the sharing of N8,000.

The fight briefly disrupted commercial activities in the busy Balogun Market, where some shops closed before reopening on Thursday.

While speculation spread on social media that the fight was linked to ethnic tensions, the Lagos State Police Command dismissed such claims. Police spokesperson Benjamin Hundeyin confirmed the incident, stating: “During the fight, one Ebuka Adindu from Abia State stabbed one Sodiq Ibrahim from Kogi State to death. The said Adindu in turn stabbed himself on the shoulder and became unconscious. He is currently under arrest in the hospital, where he is being treated. Investigation into the matter will be concluded, and he will be prosecuted after he has been discharged.”

Findings revealed that both men were members of a group known as Oso Ahia, loosely translated from Igbo as “market hustlers.” Their role is to bring customers into shops in exchange for commissions. Trouble began when a shop owner handed N8,000 to be shared between them, sparking a heated argument.

Picture from a video showing a bloodied Ebuka Adindu being led into the back of a police pick-up truck

Trader Funmi Arewa confirmed: “Both of them happened to bring the same customer, and the shop owner gave them N8,000 to share. That’s where the problem started. They began arguing over how to split the money, and in the middle of the fight, one of them stabbed the other. He probably didn’t mean to kill him, but sadly, the boy bled to death.”

Another trader, Moshood, said: “The fight started and ended with the Oso Ahia boys over the sharing of the commission. Some traders have now decided that the Oso Ahia boys should no longer be welcomed in this market. There’s no tribal issue here. It was money that led to the dispute.”

Abiola Shittu added that the temporary closure of shops on Thursday morning was due to routine sanitation, not the violence. “It was the money that a customer gave them that led to the fight,” he explained.

Another trader, Chigozie, said the clash escalated after Ibrahim allegedly stabbed Adindu first with a bottle and fled. “Then the guy immediately pursued him with a knife and did the same to him, which led to him bleeding and later dying,” he recounted.

Market traders stressed that the tragedy was the first violent incident in recent years at the market.