A newspaper vendor in Abuja was shot dead by a police assistant working for Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila. The Speaker indicated that a thorough investigation into the incident has been started in a statement that he personally signed. The federal secretariat, the building next to the Three Arms Zone, was the scene of the event at approximately 3 p.m. When the gunshot struck the victim, Ifeanyi Okereke, his coworkers hurried him to the National Hospital. The spokesperson of the National Hospital, Tayo Haastrup, confirmed that the victim died after sustaining gunshot injury to the head.
Contrary to the report, Mr Gbajabiamila said, “shots were fired into the air when some unidentified men obstructed his convoy”. He said the victim was hit by a stray bullet.
“A horrible incident has taken place. This evening as I left the national assembly, I stopped as usual to exchange pleasantries with the newspaper vendors at the corner. Many of them have known me since I first moved to Abuja and it was a friendly exchange.“Unfortunately, after the convoy set out in continuation of movement, unidentified men obstructed the convoy which got the attention of security men in the convoy who shot into the air to disperse them.“Some hours later, after getting to our destination, it was brought to my attention that someone was hit by a stray bullet, contrary to an earlier report by men in the convoy that they applied their security discretion to shoot in the air.
