Tension gripped residents of Minna, the Niger State capital, on Sunday following a violent clash between government enforcement agents and suspected vandals at the Kasuwan Gwari market.
The confrontation, which turned chaotic, reportedly left one person feared dead and several others injured.
Witnesses said dangerous weapons were freely used during the fracas, forcing traders and passersby to flee the busy market area.
Trouble began when enforcement officials attempted to stop a group of scavengers transporting scrap materials on motorcycles.
The suspects allegedly resisted arrest, triggering a violent altercation with the officials and police operatives.
Those injured were rushed to Minna General Hospital for treatment.
The incident comes days after Governor Muhammad Bago met with leaders of the Association of Scrap and Waste Dealers Employers of Nigeria, warning them against vandalising public property under the guise of scrap collection.
Spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the clash in a statement, saying that at least 10 suspects had been arrested.
He explained that an Operation Flush patrol team initially intervened but was attacked by the rioters, who damaged a police vehicle, barricaded the road, and set tyres ablaze.
Reinforcement was later deployed to disperse the mob and restore calm.
“The command used minimum force against the riotous assembly, cleared the road, and arrested over 10 persons now under investigation,” Abiodun stated.