One person was fatally shot and several vehicles damaged on Thursday following a clash between personnel of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and traders at Chorbe Market in Jos North Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The clash reportedly occurred after NSCDC personnel, invited by officials of the market traders’ association to enforce a weekly sanitation exercise, attempted to compel roadside traders to close their shops.

Some of the traders resisted, arguing that they were not members of the market association and should therefore not be required to comply with the sanitation directive.

A trader, Sani Musa, said the traders informed the operatives that their shops were located along the road rather than inside the market, but the personnel insisted that they close.

Another trader, Grace John, alleged that the situation escalated when armed NSCDC personnel began harassing and threatening traders.

She alleged that the operatives opened fire after some traders refused to comply, resulting in one person being shot. She added that hoodlums subsequently smashed the windscreens of vehicles parked along the road.

A vehicle owner, Ibrahim Yusuf, said his car was among those damaged during the incident, lamenting that he had only parked by the roadside to make a purchase.

The incident caused panic around the market, with residents fleeing into their homes as streets were deserted.

The unrest also spread to adjoining areas, including Apata, Alikazaure, Katako, Masalachi and Bauchi Road, which are regarded as areas prone to clashes in Jos North.

The injured trader was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Efforts to reach the spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Alfred Alabo, for comment were unsuccessful as his telephone could not be reached at the time of filing the report.