From Molly Kilete, Abuja
One person was reportedly killed and several others injured in a bloody clash, yesterday, between some Gbagyi youths, okada operators and Hausa Keke Napep riders in Abuja.
The incident happened at Gwarimpa 3rd Avenue, a satellite town in Abuja. News of the attack, which circulated on the social media, advised residents, visitors and motorists to avoid the area as the youths were said to have taken to the streets carrying cutlasses, daggers and other dangerous weapons, destroying vehicles of innocent people plying the route at the time of the incident.
It was gathered that trouble started after some tricycle operators, who were mostly Hausas, attacked a passenger said to be an indigene, over a misunderstanding. The attack on their brother was said to have provoked the indigenes who trooped out in their numbers to attack the Hausa keke operators, who they accused of carrying up arms to attack innocent people at the slightest provocation.
Sources said the youths invaded the area, where the tricycle operators are based, and attacked them, which led to a reprisal. The situation sent panic to residents, motorists and business owners around the area who ran for safety until a detachment of soldiers were drafted to restore normalcy.
It was gathered that soon after the soldiers left the scene, the Hausa tricycle operators mobilised and attacked anyone in sight, thereby causing pandemonium. Several vehicles were said to have had their windshields shattered during the incident, before men of the FCT police command were drafted to restore sanity. Normalcy has since been restored as police continue its surveillance in the area.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, said one person was arrested while another was confirmed dead. She said the incident, which happened on Saturday snowballed into Monday, after it was discovered that the injured person, who was taken to the hospital for treatment, died.