Abuja newspaper vendors protest killing of colleague by Gbajabiamila’s aide

TRACKING____Newspaper vendors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, on Friday staged a protest in reaction to the killing of one of its member by a police officer attached to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila at the Three Arms Zone.

“Sequel to the sad incident that happened this afternoon at the Federal Secretariat, which resulted in the death of one of us, Mr Ifeanyichukwu Elechi, a mass action will be carried out between the hours of 6am and 10am,” President of the Abuja Newspapers Distributors Association (ANDA), Benji Obute said.

“A peaceful protest to call the attention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, whose security detail fired the shot, and the IGP to the brutal murder will be staged within that period.

The ANDA president urged all members of the association to converge at the distribution centre in Area 1, for a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the Speaker and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to the incident.

“Media Houses are enjoined to cooperate with us and ensure that no single paper is leaked out as any paper that defaults will be sanctioned. We must join hands to get justice for the fallen vendor,” Obute said.

Meanwhile, the FCT Police Command denied allegation that its officer attached to the convoy of the Speaker of the House of Representatives was responsible for the murder of the vendor.

The FCT Command Public Relations Officer, ASP Yusuf Mariam, said the security aide who shot at the vendor is not a member of the Nigeria Police Force.

“However, the Commissioner of Police FCT CP. Bala Ciroma has ordered a discreet investigation into the incident,” Yusuf said.

“While commiserating with the family and friends of the deceased, the Commissioner of Police wishes to guarantee members of the public that the Command will be lucid in its investigation and ensure the findings are made public.”