By Daniel Tyokua
Three persons, including two women and a young boy, have reportedly been killed in a clash between scavengers, popularly called ‘baban bola at Byazhin community in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory FCT (FCT).
A resident in the area, who identified herself as Jessica Adam, on Wednesday confirmed that baban bola attempted to steal a woman’s pot of soup, but was overpowered and beaten up after the woman alerted neighbours and passers-by.
The embittered baban bola then went away and mobilised hoodlums who returned at about 8:00 pm wielding weapons including machetes, clubs, and stones and began attacking residents at random, eventually killing the woman whose pot of soup was earlier stolen.
Following the escalation, two others, a woman and a young boy, reported to be passers-by who ran into the crisis, were also killed, they are however yet to be identified.
“They killed two people yesterday (Tuesday), the Community has been in chaos since yesterday. The crisis continued till this morning when they killed somebody again. So far, three persons have been killed and many injured. The Police intervened and restored normalcy, but no arrest was made. The Police have intensified their patrol in the Byazhin area of Kubwa to prevent them from regrouping”, Ms Adams narrated.
A resident in the community, who also confirmed the incident, said, “Yes, the riot started yesterday. And by this morning, we learnt that three persons have been killed. It happened in Byazhin around that Millionaire’s Quarters, behind that Living Faith Church. That place is usually dangerous, because it is quite lonely, and you cannot pass through there alone, especially in the evening”, he said.
However, the Commissioner of Police, FCT Police Command, Bennett Igweh, who spoke via a telephone call, described the event as a ‘disturbance’ adding that no one died, and a victim who was macheted was receiving treatment at the hospital.
“They started their disturbance, but we have calmed everywhere down. The person who was macheted is in the hospital, only one person. No person has died”, he said.
