A 19-year-old man, Sefilahi Danlami, was beaten to death by a group of scavengers, commonly known as “pantekas,” at the local Panteka market on Saturday at Mpape in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. According to eyewitnesses, the brutal attack began after one of the scavengers, Ibrahim Dahiru, accused Danlami of stealing from him.
Dahiru reportedly tried to catch Danlami on his own but was unsuccessful. As a result, he raised an alarm, calling on other scavengers in the area for help. A resident of Mpape, who preferred to remain anonymous, described the tragic chain of events. “Some pantekas beat a 19-year-old man to death here in Mpape. One of them accused him of theft. He tried to catch him but couldn’t, so he called on his colleagues,” the resident explained. “They eventually caught him and ended up beating him to death. After realizing he was dead, they all ran away.”
The resident also called for urgent action from the authorities, expressing frustration over recurring issues involving the scavengers. “The Commissioner of Police should come and clear them from this place; they’re always causing problems,” he added.
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Upon receiving a distress call, officers from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command responded to the scene. According to FCT Police Command spokesperson Josephine Adeh, police arrested Ibrahim Dahiru, 22, in connection with the killing, while other suspects are still at large. “It is a case of culpable homicide at Panteka market in Mpape, FCT. A distress call was received by Mpape Police Division on November 1, 2024,” Adeh confirmed.
Adeh further explained, “Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had mobilized seven of his friends, who are currently at large, to attack the deceased, Sefilahi Danlami, 19, resulting in his death. Investigations are ongoing to uncover the facts, and updates will be provided in due course.”
This violent incident comes less than a week after the FCT Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu, visited scavenger markets around Abuja to warn against any criminal behavior by scavengers. Commissioner Disu emphasized that such acts would not be tolerated, vowing to crack down on criminal activities linked to the scavenger community.