The incident unfolded around 11 am, as witnesses recounted how the suspect feigned assistance to a woman, Mrs. Patience Raphael, who had just completed her shopping for a variety of food items, including rice, beans, garri, yam, neatly packed in a sack.

Ibrahim Audu, a witness to the event, explained that Mrs. Raphael was in the process of seeking a truck pusher to transport her foodstuffs when the suspect offered to help carry the load to the roadside. Unfortunately, his intentions were far from altruistic.

“In fact, I was even the one that was trying to call a wheelbarrow pusher to come and carry the foodstuffs for the woman when the man came to help carry the load. As he was rushing to cross the road in order to escape with the load he was knocked down,” Audu stated.

The suspect sustained injuries, including bruises and a fracture, and was promptly taken to the hospital by vigilant members of the community.

This incident follows a similar occurrence reported by City & Crime last week, where a truck pusher managed to escape with a woman's bag of rice and other food items at the same Kwali market. The recent events highlight the challenges faced by shoppers and the need for heightened awareness regarding such opportunistic thefts.