Traders shut market to protest killing of leader

Traders at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB) Market in Suleja, a neighbouring town to Abuja, on Tuesday shut down business in protest over the killing of one of their leaders, Alhaji Mustafa Bazabarme.

A visit to the market showed that traders, mostly dealing in English wear popularly known as blouses, closed their shops to demand justice for the deceased.

Abuja Metro reports that Bazabarme was attacked inside his residence around the Second Gate area of the town at about 1am about a week ago by suspected armed men believed to have been hired.

A trader who spoke on condition of anonymity said the assailants gained access into the house and demanded money, mobile phones and other valuables from the victim and his family members.

“They stabbed him and shot him in the head before fleeing the scene,” the source said.

The source further alleged that the attackers returned to the residence two days later, apparently suspecting that the deceased’s wife had identified one of them, but fled after neighbours were alerted.

It was gathered that residents, in collaboration with vigilante members and police operatives, later carried out a search operation which led to the recovery of a stolen motorcycle from the area and the arrest of a suspect.

The suspect was said to have led security operatives to the arrest of other gang members, who were subsequently detained at the Suleja “A” Division.

The secretary of the traders, Mustapha Basiru, confirmed that members shut down their shops and travelled to Minna, the Niger State capital, where the case has been referred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police command for further investigation.

Efforts to reach the spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, were unsuccessful as he did not respond to inquiries, but a senior police officer at the Suleja Division confirmed the development.

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