By Daniel Tyokua
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 that claimed five lives, yesterday.
He directed for the immediate closure after inspecting the scene of the incident with FCT Commissioner of Police Sunday Babaji, Director state security services with other sister security agencies and top officials of the FCT Administration.
Trouble started in the market when a female trader yet to be identified fell off a commercial motorcycle and was crushed to death by an articulated vehicle.
Bello 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 of Timber Shed market Dei-Dei, Ifeanyi Chibata told the minister and his team that
45 to 50 shops were burnt with 25 vehicles set ablaze which total over one billion naira.
The secretary Tomato and Onion Sellers Association Dei-Dei, 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.
