Police officers have allegedly shot and killed Attahiru Abubakar, the son of the Chief Imam of Kuchibuyi community in the Bwari area of Abuja, during a land dispute on Saturday.
Eyewitnesses said police opened fire on unarmed residents, killing Attahiru on the spot and injuring his elder brother, Abass, who is now in critical condition at a hospital. Their father, Imam Abubakar Yaqub, was also reportedly shot.
“My brother Attahiru was shot dead on the spot. My second brother, Abass, was also hit and is in the hospital. Our father, the Chief Imam, was also shot,” said Sanusi Abubakar, another son of the Chief Imam.
Sanusi accused an estate developer of trying to forcefully take over the community’s land and using security forces to do it.
“The estate manager first came with soldiers and vigilantes. Later, he called in the police. When the youths blocked the road to protest, police returned and started shooting,” he told PUNCH Metro.
Another resident, who asked not to be named, supported Sanusi’s account.
“The police lied. They didn’t mention that three people were shot. The Imam’s son, Attahiru, died immediately from a gunshot to the chest. His brother is in Bwari hospital, and the Imam was also shot,” the resident said.
Photos shared with journalists showed Attahiru’s lifeless body with a bullet wound to his chest and later wrapped in a white cloth for burial.
However, police gave a different version of the story.
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FCT police spokesperson Josephine Adeh said in a statement that officers responded to a civil disturbance caused by a land dispute.
“The FCT Police Command received a distress call regarding civil unrest in Kuchibuyi. Officers moved in and brought the situation under control. Arrests were made and investigations are ongoing,” she said.
She denied that police were responsible for the violence.
“This is a communal dispute and not in any way related to the police,” she said, quoting Commissioner of Police Ajao Adewale.
The commissioner condemned what he called attacks on officers, warning, “Firm action will be taken against anyone who attacks police or other security personnel responding to distress calls.”
When asked why the police statement failed to mention the shooting and the death, Adeh declined to comment further, saying reporters should refer to her original statement.