1 killed, 2 injured in Abuja land dispute

Attahiru Abubakar, a native of Kuchibiyi village in the Bwari Area Council of the FCT, has been allegedly shot dead during a land dispute in the area. Two other locals were seriously injured in the crisis. The incident occurred on Saturday when natives confronted some people who had arrived to mark a portion of land. […]

Attahiru Abubakar, a native of Kuchibiyi village in the Bwari Area Council of the FCT, has been allegedly shot dead during a land dispute in the area.

Two other locals were seriously injured in the crisis.

The incident occurred on Saturday when natives confronted some people who had arrived to mark a portion of land.

They were accompanied by police officers from the Byazhin division.

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According to Samuel Dangana, a Kuchibiyi resident, the confrontation began around 12:47 am when the natives mobilized in large numbers to barricade the road to prevent access to the land.

He said an altercation ensued when the natives, armed with sticks and stones, were met with tear gas and live bullets from the police.

“The people suspected to be land grabbers came with some policemen trying to mark out some portions of land, and the natives blocked the road to prevent them. The next thing we heard was gunfire and tear gas from the policemen. One of the natives died from the bullet, while two others were injured,” Dangana claimed.

He stated that the tension escalated when police fired live bullets and tear gas at the crowd and Abubakar was shot in the chest, dying on the spot. Two other natives were hit in the legs and hands and were rushed to a hospital in Bwari for treatment.

Dangana added that the police and the people left after discovering Abubakar had died, which led to increased tension in the community.

The councilor representing Byazhin ward, Dogara J. Ahmed, confirmed the incident, stating that one person died and two were injured.

“Yes, I have just been informed that one person died while two others were injured, but I just arrived in the community right now to get details about the incident,” he said.

When contacted, FCT police spokesperson, Superintendent Josephine Adeh, confirmed that some suspects were arrested following a civil unrest over a land dispute.

In a statement on Saturday, Adeh said that Divisional Police Officers from Byazhin and Kubwa divisions swiftly mobilized to the scene and brought the situation under control.

She stated that arrests had been made and an investigation was ongoing.

Adeh, however, did not respond to questions regarding the alleged death and injuries.

But she said the FCT Police Commissioner, CP Ajao Saka Adewale, condemned the youths’ actions for attacking police operatives.

He warned that such behavior would not be tolerated and that action would be taken against anyone who attacks police officers responding to distress calls.

Adeh noted that further updates would be communicated later.

Meanwhile, the Original Inhabitants Development Association (OIDA), a body representing the indigenous people of Abuja, has condemned the police shooting. OIDA President, Pastor Danladi Jeji, who spoke to our correspondent on Sunday, recalled a similar incident three weeks ago in the Karsana community, where another native died and two others were injured during a confrontation with security operatives.