FCT minister shuts down Dei-Dei Timber Market after unrest, four people killed

At least four persons were killed in rioting at the Dei-Dei market on Wednesday, according to Mohammed Bello, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Mr Bello ordered the Dei-Dei International Market to be closed indefinitely, in the aftermath of a conflict between commercial motorcyclists and traders on Wednesday.

Mr Bello issued the order after viewing the scene of the event with the FCT Commissioner of Police, Sunday Babaji, the Director of State Security Services, other sister security agencies, and top FCT Administration officials.

Trouble began in the market when an unidentified female trader fell off a commercial motorcycle and was killed by an articulated vehicle.

This let’s to a clash between some traders in the market and commercial motorcycle riders.

The minister ordered the community and market leaders to find the hoodlums who had caused the catastrophe.

“The community and market leaders must fish out hoodlums and bad eggs among them. Unfortunately, this time around, hoodlums carried 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.”

Read also: Former FCT Minister loses pilot daughter in Cameroon plane crash

Mr Bello said that there was no tribal or religious misunderstanding because all the leaders of various communities have lived in peace for many years.

Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command revealed that it had restored normality in Dei-Dei town of Bwari Area Council in Abuja.

This was revealed in a statement signed by DSP Josephine Adeh, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), on Wednesday.

The police indicated that the situation was brought under control with the help of their sister agencies, and that they were keeping a close check on the situation while conducting a discreet investigation.

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