6 suspects arrested over killing of herder
Tension erupted on Friday at the Gosa village market, along the Airport Road in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), following the alleged killing of a herder identified as Saleh Aliyu. Yohana Joseph, a resident of Gosa, stated that the incident occurred last Thursday night when some men allegedly stabbed the herder to death and […]
Tension erupted on Friday at the Gosa village market, along the Airport Road in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), following the alleged killing of a herder identified as Saleh Aliyu.
Yohana Joseph, a resident of Gosa, stated that the incident occurred last Thursday night when some men allegedly stabbed the herder to death and then dumped his body near a community stream.
According to Joseph, the trouble began weeks ago when the herder had a disagreement with one of the men. On Thursday, the herder was relaxing in the market when the same guard reportedly attacked him.
“There was a misunderstanding between the Fulani man and one of the men at Gosa market before now,” Joseph explained, adding that “Last Thursday, the guards met the herder relaxing inside the market, and they macheted him to death, evacuated his corpse, and dumped it near a stream close to the area.”
Joseph further claimed that the men who allegedly committed the killing later went to the deceased’s family in the village to confess.
This confession, he said, led to a large mobilization of herders at the market on Friday morning, seeking retaliation.
“The men who killed the Fulani man, according to what I heard, couldn’t sleep that night after dumping his corpse near a stream and he went to his family at their camp and confessed to them that he was the one that killed their son,” Joseph recounted.
The deceased’s family and other relatives reportedly arrived at the market armed with cutlasses, causing pandemonium.
“The herders came in their numbers brandishing cutlasses, which forced some traders and customers to flee the market until security operatives came to put the situation under control,” he added.
Joseph confirmed that the herder’s remains had been buried in the community and that police have arrested some suspects in connection with the incident.
Police arrest 6 suspects
FCT Police Commissioner, Saka Ajao Adewale, confirmed the incident during a press briefing at the command in Abuja on Friday.
He stated that the command swiftly responded to a distress call, moving to the area to de-escalate tension and restore normalcy.
“It was a young man who was accused of stealing yam tubers inside Gosa market. And behold, an individual decided to take laws into his own hands. That is a complete human being, which is what led to the crisis,” CP Adewale explained. He disclosed that six suspects have been arrested in connection with the incident and are currently in custody.
The police have engaged community leaders and traditional rulers in the area in a dialogue, which CP Adewale believes has helped to calm tensions.
He added that normalcy has fully returned to the market, with operatives maintaining a strong presence under tight surveillance.