Scavenger killed, man lost eye in Abuja slum clash

A scavenger was reported to have been killed by a resident whose one eye was plucked out during a fierce fighting in the Kado Kuchi area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on Thursday. An eyewitness, Jummai Ayuba, told our reporter that the scuffle started Wednesday night when a phone snatcher suspected to be […]

A scavenger was reported to have been killed by a resident whose one eye was plucked out during a fierce fighting in the Kado Kuchi area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja on Thursday.

An eyewitness, Jummai Ayuba, told our reporter that the scuffle started Wednesday night when a phone snatcher suspected to be a scavenger waylaid a resident of the area to dispossess him of his phone and valuables.

She said, “The man defiantly refused to hand over his phone to the scavenger. He (scavenger) then used a knife and plucked out the man’s eye. The man who summoned courage and seized the knife then stabbed the scavenger in the neck – and he died instantly. He then dumped the corpse in a nearby gutter.

 “So, when scavengers saw the body of their colleague Thursday morning, they mobilized themselves and stormed the vicinity with clubs, machetes, and other dangerous weapons.

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“They would knock on people’s doors and stab anyone that comes. As I am talking to you now, four people have been seriously wounded by the scavengers. They are receiving treatment at a hospital,’’ she added.

She further said many residents had deserted the area to safer places close by.

Our reporter learnt that security operatives had cordoned off the area, as of Thursday evening.

When contacted, the FCT Police Command spokesperson, DSP Josephine Ade, confirmed that there was a crisis in the area but gave no further details.

“Police officers led by the DPO Mabuchi Divisional Headquarters and Crack Squad of the CP burnt down the scavengers’ resettlement camps, and suspected criminals’ hideouts,” she said in a terse message sent to our correspondent in response to an inquiry on the matter.