On Thursday night, officers from the Federal Capital Territory Police Command intervened in a tumultuous protest that erupted in response to the reported shooting of a fashion designer by a Department of State Services (DSS) operative.
The DSS operative allegedly fired shots sporadically, causing injuries to several individuals.
According to one of our sources, a customer had brought the DSS official to the fashion designer’s shop, accusing them of failing to deliver clothing as per their agreement. Colleagues of the fashion designer, upon learning of the situation, attempted to mediate, but this only escalated tensions with the DSS operative.
The DSS operative was subsequently apprehended and detained by the police following the alleged shooting and killing of the fashion designer.
“A female customer of the fashion designer brought the DSS. She said the fashion designer did not sew her clothes. Her colleagues joined and defended her. The issue led to a serious argument.
“We later heard a gunshot and learnt that the fashion designer had been killed and another injured. The DSS operative was arrested and detained at Wuse Market Police Station. That is where all our people are now,” the trader said.
Responding to the development in a statement on Thursday, the spokesperson for the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh said, “In an incident at Garki International Market on September 7, 2023, an altercation arose between market occupants and certain individuals, including a DSS personnel and a tailor named Muhammad Habibu. The Garki Divisional Police station mobilised officers in response to a received distress call reporting the invasion of the market by these individuals, who fired shots at a tailor known as Mubarak Mubarak.
“This incident led to some of the local youths reacting angrily and attempting to confront the DSS personnel involved. In response, the police intervened to rescue the individuals and protect public safety. During the incident, there was damage to a section of the Police outpost as some of the irate youths acted in a disorderly manner. It is important to note that some weapons used in the commotion have been recovered, and normalcy has now been restored.
Nonetheless, in a statement released on Thursday, Peter Afunanya, the spokesperson for the Department of State Services (DSS), announced that the security agency is actively conducting an investigation into the incident.
“The attention of the Department of State Services has been drawn to an incident that occurred a few hours ago between its staff and a mob at the Garki Market, Abuja. Information at the disposal of the Service was that its FCT Command responded to an SOS from their field operatives who allegedly came under a mob attack in the said market.
“Consequently, the Service has commenced an investigation into the matter. The public is assured that details of the inquiries will be communicated as soon as possible. The Service assures that it will not hesitate to mete out a proper disciplinary measure(s) to its staff if found culpable or running foul of the Standard Operating Procedures on dealing with a member of the public.”
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