DAILY TRUST
A joint security taskforce setup by the FCT Administration against the operation, has allegedly shot a female hawker to death while enforcing the ban on commercial okada operators around EFAB Estate junction, located off Kubwa-Abuja expressway in Karsana District of Abuja.
The taskforce, which comprises VIO, police and NSCDC operatives, was set up by the FCT Administration to enforce the ban on motorcycle operations in the nation’s capital.
Abuja Metro learnt that a motorcyclist was also shot dead, allegedly by policemen who came to disperse commercial motorcyclists who were protesting the killing of the hawker.
The incident, Abuja Metro further learnt, took place around 10am on Wednesday, when the VIO operatives, accompanied by the police and the NSCDC officials, were conducting a routine operation to enforce the ban on commercial motorcycle operation around the highway.
A witness, Shafiu Abubakar, said the VIO operatives had attempted to seize some bikes used by the okada men around the junction but faced resistance from the owners.
He said, “The number of the okada riders kept increasing, which forced the taskforce to leave the scene without arresting any motorcycle.
‘’However, one of the security men on the team pointed his gun toward the crowd, as they were leaving and shot dead an ice cream hawker, before they zoomed off.’’
Another witness, Sani Aliyu, said a protest led by the commercial motorcyclists erupted along the expressway, leading to the blocking of the highway for over an hour, with others setting bonfires and hitting vehicles that attempted to drive through the expressway.