Five Fear Killed as Traders, Hoodlums Clash in Abuja
. Minister orders closure of Deidei market
Olawale Ajimotokan in Abuja
Five persons were killed in a fracas that ensured yesterday at Dei International Market in Abuja after an unidentified woman was crushed by an articulated vehicle after falling off a commercial motorbike.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Malam Mohammad Bello, who led the Commissioner of Police, Sunday Babaji , Director DSS and other sister security agencies to the scene where multi million naira worth of building materials were razed has also directed the indefinite closure of the affected market until further notice.
He also directed the community and the market leaders to fish out the hoodlums responsible for the crisis.
He said: “The community and market leaders must fish out hoodlums and bad eggs among them, unfortunately this time around hoodlums carry arms and they shot innocent people. As a matter of fact, I saw four corpses, this is very sad and totally unequivocally unacceptable in Abuja.
“We have agreed with security agencies that full scale investigations will be done, and the communities have to be part and parcel of the solution or else there will be no peace. In the interim the timber market and the surrounding markets, including all the activities on road that have clustered the road and made it unpassable will all stop untill the technical team reviews everything, and then we will take the next decision.
“I am appealing to other communities within the FCT that there is no tribal or religious misunderstanding because all the leadership of various communities have lived here in peace for many years. This is simply the matter of criminals and hoodlums taking the laws into their hands,” he said.
On his part, the Vice Chairman Timber Shed Market, Ifeanyi Chibata, told the minister that between 45 and 50 shops were burnt while 25 vehicles were set ablaze during the riot.
He put the total value of destroyed plank and building materials at over N1 billion.
The Secretary Tomato and Onions Sellers Association Dei-Dei Dahiru Garba Mani, revealed that the four persons were shot by hoodlums during the clash in the market.
He said the corpses of the victims were taken into the mosques
