Attahiru Abubakar, the son of Abubakar Yaqub, Chief Imam of the Kuchibuyi community in the Bwari area of the federal capital Territory, has allegedly been shot dead during a land dispute in the area.
According to Punch, the unfortunate incident occurred on Saturday. The victim died instantly after being hit by a police bullet, while his elder brother, Abass, sustained gunshot wounds and is currently battling for his life at a hospital. However, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Josephine Adeh, in a statement, said that the police were responding to a civil disturbance in the area.
She also quoted the Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, as saying, “The Commissioner of Police strongly condemns the actions of youths attacking police officers who were on a mission to restore law and order.
However, members of the Kuchibuyi community have contested the police account, claiming that the incident involved indiscriminate shooting by the officers that resulted in the fatality and injuries, which the official statement failed to acknowledge. Speaking to the publication mentioned above, the deceased’s brother, Sanusi Abubakar, said their father, the Chief Imam, was also shot during the incident. He accused the police of acting on the orders of an estate manager attempting to forcibly grab community land.
Photos seen by the publication showed Attahiru’s lifeless body with a gunshot wound in the upper left chest, and another image displayed his body wrapped in cloth after the incident.
When contacted again on Sunday for clarification on why the statement didn’t mention the shooting and fatality, police spokesperson Adeh simply referred to her initial release and did not respond to further enquiries.
