Bwari violence: Three deaths confirmed, curfew imposed on Abuja town

Three people have been confirmed dead in the violence that occurred in Bwari town of Bwari Area Council, Abuja.

A dusk to dawn curfew has, consequently, been imposed on the area. The violence occurred in the area on Monday morning leading to burning down of the major market in the community. PREMIUM TIMES reported the violence, which residents said was caused by the killing of a man late on Sunday. According to a resident of the area, the violence started late Sunday night after a Hausa man killed a man said to be of Gbagi ethnicity. In revenge, the Gbagis residing in the area burnt down the Bwari market on Monday, the resident said. Most of the traders in the market are believed to be Hausas. Another witness, who identified herself as Bimbo, said there has been tension between Hausas and Gbagis in the area for a while. “But the cause of this fight is because a Gbagi man was killed last night. Right now, all the Hausas in this area are running towards Kaduna area because of the fear of getting killed,” she said on Monday evening. On Monday evening, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, imposed a 6 p.m.to 6 a.m. curfew on Bwari township. The Minister of FCTA, Muhammad Bello, after a closed-door meeting with stakeholders in the Area Council, declared the curfew while assessing the damages caused by the crisis. Mr. Bello told journalists that three people died in the violence. Fire fighters arrived the market at about 8:00 p.m. on Monday to put out the fire. Although they came much earlier in the day, they were prevented from working by rioters. The deployment of armed soldiers and police officers to the scene eventually doused the tension. By then, most of the shops in the market were completely burnt. The police in Abuja said they have begun investigation into the violence. The Abuja police spokesperson, Anjuguri Manzah, told PREMIUM TIMES that the cause of the violence could not be ascertained yet. “I cannot tell you about the cause now. All we are concentrating on now is to ensure peace returns and residents can move freely,” Mr. Manzah said.