Last week Friday, a disturbing incident occurred at the popular Alaba International Market in Ojo, Lagos, causing tension among traders. A middle-aged woman named Ebere, who sells household items, made a shocking discovery while eating food she bought from a vendor at GBO Plaza in the market - she found what appeared to be a human-like penis in her plate of soup.
File photo: Traders go about their businesses at Alaba market (Image used for the purpose of illustration only)[/figure]As the news spread, pandemonium broke out in the market, with traders and customers flocking to the plaza to witness the unsettling scene. According to eyewitnesses, the piece of meat in Ebere's food had an uncanny resemblance to a male child’s private part. After careful examination, the traders reached a consensus that it was likely human flesh.
"It was when she raised an alarm that other traders came closer and on proper scrutiny, it was concluded that the seemingly turgid but small human flesh must be that of a child," an eyewitness reported.
Outraged, many traders demanded justice for this horrifying revelation, accusing the food vendor of being responsible. The vendor, in turn, claimed she purchased the meat from a regular supplier in the market. Some traders who claimed to be regular customers of the vendor even lamented publicly, stating they might have unknowingly consumed human flesh in the past, thinking it was ordinary meat.
The situation escalated, and an angry mob sought to locate both the food vendor and the meat seller for immediate retribution. However, market leaders intervened and urged for caution, promising to conduct a thorough investigation before taking any decisive action.
Ezeani Theophilus, the Public Relations Officer of Alaba International Market, confirmed the incident and stated that an investigation was underway. He disclosed that the food vendor operated as a local food seller and had no restaurant. Allegedly, she bought the meat from a meat hawker within the market, but the meat seller had not been identified yet to avoid tipping them off.
As of press time, the outcome of the investigation remained uncertain, and the food vendor had reportedly disappeared from the market. The police, on their part, stated that they had not received an official report yet, but assured that once they did, they would thoroughly investigate the case.