…protest killing
By Deborah Hassan
Members of the Abuja Newspapers Distributors Association (ANDA) have said the speaker of the House of Representatives’ version of the event that led to the killing of a newspaper vendor, Elechi Okereke, by a security aide attached to his convoy is untrue.
The incident happened in front of the Federal Secretariat, opposite the National Assembly complex.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, in an early morning statement on Friday, said his security officials fired bullets into the air to disperse some people who obstructed the movement of his convoy after he stopped to exchange pleasantries with vendors, leading to the death of Okereke.
Chairman of the association in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Mr. Etim Ekeng, said while it is true that the speaker stopped to “share money to them”‘, the deceased was killed while running after the speaker’s car when a bullet hit his head.
“The speaker called to give us money and the security aide just shot him in the head. He was rushed to the National Hospital where he died some hours later,” Eteng disclosed.
Members of the association earlier embarked on a protest over the killing.
The protesters converged in Area 1, Garki, chanting, “‘All we are saying, give us justice”, and holding placards with inscriptions, “Stop Police brutality now”, “Femi Gbajabiamila’s aide killed Elechi, a vendor in Abuja”, “We want justice”.
Elechi was hit by a stray bullet shot by a security aide to the speaker on Thursday evening. Gbajabiamila confirmed the incident in a statement released in the early hours of Friday and expressed deep regret over the incident.
He also added that the officer has been handed over for appropriate actions.
Photo credit: Channels Television