3 dead as Gbagyi, Hausa youths clash in Abuja
file photo to depict incident
•Police host peace talks between warring communities
•Arrest one, intensify surveillance patrols
By Kingsley Omonobi & Luminous Jannamike, Abuja
A violent clash erupted between Abuja indigenous people and Hausa youths in Gwarinpa 3rd Avenue, weekend.
According to sources, the fight broke out when a group of Hausa youths, who reportedly sold illicit drugs, attempted to burgle and rob the household of a Ward Councillor.
The development, it was gathered, infuriated the indigenous people, and the situation quickly escalated into a full-blown clash.
Eyewitnesses reported that the violence resulted in the death of three people, with several others injured, and cars vandalised.
On Saturday night, security personnel were called in to quell the unrest, and the situation was temporarily brought under control.
However, fighting resumed, yesterday.
“I was at home when I heard the shattering of several glasses and people screaming outside. When I looked out of the window, I saw a group of young men attacking motorists and buildings, while chasing everyone in sight. They were armed and dangerous,” said Mr. Mohammed, a resident of the area.
Another resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “The situation was very tense, and we were all afraid for our lives. We heard that about three people had been killed, and there was chaos everywhere.”
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the area are calling for calm and urging parties to refrain from violence, while security agencies investigate the incident.
Sources disclosed that personnel of FCT Police Command have been deployed to the scene to restore normalcy.
We took stand against drug lords, says lawmaker whose house was attacked
Meanwhile, former speaker of the legislative branch of Abuja Municipal Area Council, Isah Baushe, yesterday, confirmed that his house was attacked by suspected drug dealers in Gwarinpa 3rd Avenue, Abuja.
Speaking to Vanguard, Baushe, said: “It is not a religious or tribal fight, but a struggle to rescue the community from the activities of drug lords in the area.
“Whenever police intervened, they (the drug dealers) will go back and reinforce and hire scavenger for attack. That has been what is going on in the past three days.”
On the immediate cause of the crisis, he said: “Security operatives came and arrested some drug dealers at the ‘Water Board’ area of Gwarinpa 3rd Avenue.
“So, the ones who escaped the raid stormed our community and started attacking the natives in the community on suspicion that they blew the whistle on their activities.
“I didn’t know something was even happening in the community until some of the drug dealers came and attacked my house and broke my windows. By the time I came out, they had escaped.”
He said calm has been returned to the area, and security operatives have been deployed to maintain law and order.
FCT Police move to prevent escalation of tension
Acting Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, DCP Ahmed Musa, yesterday, held a meeting with traditional rulers from both the Hausa and Gbagyi communities in Gwarinpa, Abuja.
The meeting was aimed at brokering peace between the two groups and discussing ways to collaborate, in order to keep youths in check and oust troubleshooters in the area.
A statement by the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, explained that the meeting was held at the Commissioner’s office in the Command Headquarters in response to a “mild tension” that arose along Gwarinpa 3rd Avenue due to a squabble between some Hausa and Gbagyi youths on Saturday.
According to her, the traditional rulers and the Acting Commissioner of Police discussed ways to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
They also explored ways to foster better relationships between the two communities and promote peaceful coexistence.
Adeh also spoke on the number of casualties recorded during the clash. “The fracas between the two groups which caused the grievous wounding of two (2) youths who were conveyed to the hospital where one was eventually declared dead after attempts to attend to his wounds failed, led 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.
The PPRO added that following the incident, the police deployed operatives to the affected areas to douse the tension and effect arrests.
Meanwhile, sources at the meeting told Vanguard that the Acting Commissioner of Police emphasized the need for collaboration between the police and the traditional rulers in maintaining peace and security in the FCT.
He urged the traditional rulers to continue to play their roles as peace ambassadors and to work closely with the police in identifying and apprehending troublemakers.
In response, the traditional rulers expressed their commitment to promoting peace and security in their communities.
They also pledged to work closely with the police to identify and apprehend troublemakers and to foster better relationships between the two communities.
The meeting ended on a positive note, with both sides expressing their commitment to promoting peace and security in the FCT.
The police and the traditional rulers agreed to continue to work together to prevent future incidents and to maintain peace and security in the area.
Vanguard Media