A commercial motorcyclist simply identified as Kaura was allegedly shot dead on Monday April 17, by security men attached to the FCTA officials carrying out a demolition exercise around Dei-dei livestock market in the FCT.
Some makeshift shops were marked for demolition in the area last week, ahead of the commissioning a new modern market behind the livestock market facility. The FCTA authorities were out to carry out the demolition when the motorcyclist and some other persons came out to challenge them.
A resident, Mustafa Aliyu, who spoke to DailyTrust, said the officials arrived at the area around 12pm and started removing the makeshift shops adjacent to the new market to clear the road that links to the site.
“Some youths working at the nearby slaughter slab known as jungle boys confronted the security men, some of them pelting them with stones while chanting ‘kariya ne’, ‘kariya ne’ meaning it is a lie in Hausa language. That was when the security men, made up of soldiers, police and civil defense, shot teargas while others fired shots into the air,’’ the resident alleged.
It was further learnt that the remains of the deceased was taken to an unknown hospital, while the exercise continued unchallenged.
However, a member of the demolition team confirmed the shootings during the incident, saying they were aimed at dispersing the violent protesters who were attacking the officials carrying out the exercise. He said he was not aware if any of the protesters died during the incident.
“What I know is that teargas canisters were shot to disperse the protesters and I did not see any dead body,’’ he said
The FCT police command is yet to react to this development.