On Friday in Abuja,as operatives of the State
Security Service raided a building in Apo Quarters, killing eight people. The
SSS claimed that those killed were members of Boko Haram.
Thou an eyewitnesses and
survivors one Mallam Ibrahim Mohammed from Zamfara State, denied the security
agents’ claim, he said, “We are not Boko Haram members; that is a great
blackmail, it is not true. How can over 200 people living in an
uncompleted building be Boko Haram members .Among us are Keke (tricycle)
drivers and operators; shoemakers and many others. Some of us are married with
children.
“The owner of the house
instructed security men to get rid of us; he used his contact in government to
descend on us. This matter must not be swept under the carpet. It is
unfortunate that we are being treated like this. The government should
investigate what happened and get those behind it prosecuted.”
Mohammed explained further
that the genesis of the problem. He said, “About one week ago, we caught two
thieves who stole some electrical appliances in the uncompleted building where
we stay. We informed the security man guiding the place because we pay him N200
every week, even though we are aware that the money does not get to the
owner of the building.
“Immediately after
getting hold of the culprits, we put a call to the owner of the house, who we
understand, is a highly placed (senior security officer). When he eventually
came, he pardoned the thieves and set them free. But we were not aware that he
had given one week ultimatum to the security man to send all of us away.
“Instead of informing
us, the security man packed his belongings and sneaked out, leaving us to our
fate. But at about 2:30 am last night, we saw about five trucks of armed
security men. They opened fire into the air and out of fear, we started running
for safety. That was when they got the opportunity to shoot sporadically and in
the end, many people died.
“I ran and hid myself
under a car that was parked, not knowing that they had seen me. They opened
fire on me and that was what affected my two legs. The government should
investigate the owner of the house.’’
Another eyewitness, one Abdullahi said that
the people had been squatting in the building for about four years, noting that
they were known to engage in menial jobs.
He said, “one of my
friends, Tahir, was behind me when we saw the security men. He ran back, but I
told him he should find out what was happening before running away. As we were
talking, one of the men released a shot into the air and another one released
five rounds, so I took off and hid at a nearby house. I quickly removed the
white shirt I was wearing so that it would not give me away and I jumped the
fence into another compound.”
Another eyewitness who
identified himself as Danjuma said “The gunfire was frightening and my
friends and I ran when we heard the gunshots. I know some of the people in that
building, they have been living there for some time and they are mostly Keke
NAPEP drivers, mai-ruwa and so on. I am surprised that they are being
labelled as Boko Haram, but I believe the security agencies know better,”
Meanwhile, the Deputy
Director, SSS, Public Relations, Marilyn Ogar, who in her statement
claimed that the victims were gunmen who engaged the SSS operatives in a gun
battle with the sect when they went to a building on Soji Aderemi Close, off
Bamanga Tukur Street, Apo Quarters, to exhume weapons buried in an
uncompleted building by people suspected to be members of the Islamic
sect, must produce the evidence of the exhume weapons !!!
As a citizen of federal
republic of Nigeria, i feel that, it will be very bad if we use the state apparatus
to oppress the less privilege in the society.
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