Tragedy struck on Saturday as a clash between some members of the Benue and Hausa communities at a fruit market in Oil Mill, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State led to the death of one person.
Trouble started when a trader at the market asked a wheelbarrow pusher, identified as Zakara Afaaruwu, to make space for him to keep his goods, which the latter refused.
An argument immediately ensued between the two and attracted other traders and people within the area.
The disagreement escalated when the wheelbarrow pusher allegedly brought out a knife and stabbed the trader.
The police, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Saturday afternoon, said the trader was rushed to the hospital but was confirmed dead by a doctor.
The statement by the spokesperson for the state Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said the development immediately sparked a clash between members of the Benue and Hausa communities in the area.
Iringe-Koko, a Chief Superintendent of Police, in the statement said, “The Rivers State Police Command has confirmed a murder incident that occurred today, Saturday, 14th February, 2026, at about 7:00 a.m. at the Fruit Market, Oil Mill, Rumuokwurusi, Port Harcourt.
