The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Malam Mohammad Bello has ordered the indefinite closure of Dei – Dei International Market following a clash between commercial motorcyclists and the traders which resulted in the loss of five lives, on Wednesday.
He directed for the immediate closure after inspecting the scene of the incident with FCT Commissioner of Police Sunday Babaji, Director of state security services among other sister security agencies and top officials of the FCT Administration.
Violence erupted in the market after a female trader yet to be identified fell off a commercial motorcycle and was crushed to death by an articulated vehicle.
According to the Minister “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 until 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 leaders 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 of Timber Shed market Dei-Dei, Ifeanyi Chibata explained to the minister and his team that 45 to 50 shops were burnt while 25 vehicles worth one billion Naira were set ablaze which
Also speaking, the secretary of the Tomato and Onion Sellers Association in the market, Dahiru Garba Mani disclosed that four persons were killed during the clash in the market.
They both appealed to the minister of FCT to make provision for a police division with adequate personnel.
In a related development, the Police said they have restored calm in the market. In a statement issued by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Josephine Adah, the FCT Police Commissioner, Babaji Sunday, stated that; “Following the outbreak of civil unrest at Building Material market, Dei Dei area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at about 11:30 am today 18th of May 2022, comprehensive deployment of tactical and intelligence assets of the Command led by the Commissioner of Police CP Babaji Sunday psc drifted swiftly to the scene to ensure that the unrest is being nipped in the board and managed, forestalling the destruction of private and government infrastructures, loss of lives and properties and to restore normalcy to the situation.
“Consequent upon the above, the Police in a concerted effort with other State apparatus upon arrival at the scene, managed the uproar preventing further disintegration of law and Order.” He stated.
Babaji assured that Police monitoring and surveillance to ascertain the cause of the outbreak of violence, sustain the relative peace restored, and affirm the resultant level of damage is ongoing, that findings will be communicated in due time.
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