A violent altercation broke out between local FCT residents and Hausa youths in Gwarinpa Third Avenue.
Sources said that the altercation started when a gang of Hausa youths—who were allegedly selling illegal drugs—attempted to break into and loot the home of a FCT Ward Councillor.
The native population was said to have been enraged by the development, and the conflict swiftly reached its peak intensity.
The violence, according to eyewitness accounts, left three individuals dead, numerous more hurt, and several automobiles vandalized.
Security forces were called in to put an end to the turmoil on Saturday night, and the situation was momentarily stabilized.
But yesterday, fighting started up again.
“When I heard people yelling outside and numerous glasses breaking, I was at home.
Looking out the window, I saw a bunch of young males pursuing everyone in their path while destroying cars and buildings. They were violent and armed, according to Mr. Mohammed, a local.
“The situation was very tense, and we were all afraid for our lives,” a resident who preferred to remain nameless said. There was mayhem everywhere, and we learned that three individuals had been slain.
While security services look into the event, local stakeholders are pleading for peace and advising parties to desist from violence.
According to sources, FCT Police Command officials have been sent to the location to help things return to normal.
Lawmaker whose home was attacked: “We took a stand against drug lords.”
Isah Baushe, a former speaker of the Abuja Municipal Area Council’s legislative body, stated yesterday that his home in Gwarinpa 3rd Avenue, Abuja, had been assaulted by alleged drug traffickers.
In an interview with Vanguard, Baushe stated: “It is not a religious or tribal battle; rather, it is a war to protect the community from the local drug lords’ actions.
“Whenever police stepped in, they (the drug traffickers) would retaliate by hiring scavengers and enlisting reinforcements.
That is what has been happening for the last three days.
Regarding the crisis’s immediate origin, he stated: “Security personnel arrived and detained a number of drug traffickers in the ‘Water Board’ section of Gwarinpa Third Avenue.
Therefore, the raid survivors assaulted our neighbourhood and began beating the locals on the pretext that they had exposed their activities.
“Until some of the drug traffickers came and assaulted my home and destroyed my windows, I had no idea anything was even going on in the neighbourhood. They had already fled by the time I emerged.
He said that the area is now peaceful and that security personnel have been sent in to uphold the law.
FCT Police take action to avoid escalating tension
In Gwarinpa, Abuja, Tuesday, DCP Ahmed Musa, acting police commissioner for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, met with elders from the Hausa and Gbagyi communities.
The purpose of the meeting was to mediate peace between the two parties and to explore strategies to work together to control youngsters and remove troublemakers from the neighbourhood.
The meeting was held at the Commissioner’s office in the Command Headquarters in response to a “mild tension” that developed along Gwarinpa 3rd Avenue on Saturday as a result of an altercation between some Hausa and Gbagyi youths, according to a statement from the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh.
She claims that the traditional leaders and the acting police commissioner discussed strategies to stop such situations from occurring in the future.
They also looked at how to encourage harmonious coexistence and improve relations between the two groups.
Adeh also stated how many people were hurt during the fight.
“The fight between the two groups resulted in the grave injuries of two (2) youths who were taken to the hospital, where one was eventually pronounced dead after attempts to treat his wounds failed, leading to the arrest of one suspect who is currently assisting the Police in their investigations to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the affray,” she said.
According to the PPRO, the FCT police sent agents to the impacted locations to diffuse the situation and make arrests after the event.
According to sources at the meeting, the Acting Commissioner of Police stressed the need of working together with the traditional leaders to preserve peace and security in the FCT.
He exhorted the traditional leaders to continue acting as peace ambassadors and to collaborate closely with the police in locating and apprehending criminals.
The community’s traditional leaders responded by pledging to support peace and security there.
Additionally, they promised to cooperate closely with the police to track out troublemakers and improve relations between the two populations.
Both parties expressed their commitment to fostering peace and security in the FCT as the meeting came to a successful conclusion.
In order to stop more occurrences from happening and to keep the neighbourhood safe and secure, the police and the traditional leaders decided to continue cooperating.
