Residents of Kado Kuchi, a slum in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja have been living in palpable fear for four days after a clash with scavengers.
Daily Trust had reported how a scavenger was said to have been killed in self-defense by a resident that he plucked out his eye during a fierce fight in the area on Wednesday.
The scuffle started when a phone snatcher suspected to be a scavenger waylaid a resident of the area to dispossess him of his phone and valuables. The man, however, defiantly refused to hand over his phone to the scavenger.
“He (scavenger) then used a knife and plucked out the man’s eye. The man who summoned courage and seized the knife then stabbed the scavenger in the neck – and he died instantly. He then dumped the corpse in a nearby gutter,’’ a resident had told our reporter.
Secretary to the District Head of Kado Kuchi, Joshua Jezhi, told our reporter Sunday that scavengers had been regrouping since Saturday night for a possible attack.
He said, “Many residents have deserted the area; some are now living with their relatives in Jabi and Jahi due to the fear of the unknown. This might be because the scavengers have been reportedly vowing revenge. So, people are on edge.
“Though we asked people to be calm and some have even started returning,’’ he said.
He, however, said that the police and vigilantes had been put on red alert around the area.
But speaking with one of our correspondents last night, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Josephine Adeh, dispelled the news of the fear by residents as a rumour.
Adeh, a Superintendent of Police, explained that police tactical squads of the command had been on the ground, manning the place since the day all criminals (scavengers) were dislodged by the operatives.
She said the residents could not have been living in fear because of scavengers whose hideouts had already been burnt down by the gallant officers that were deployed by the Commissioner of Police, Haruna Garba, to ensure the serenity of the environment.
“The rumour is totally false and untrue. It should be dismissed by all peace-loving residents of the Federal Capital Territory because as I am talking to you, our gallant officers are still on the ground to ensure total peace in that place, so nobody should instill fear in the minds of the people,” she said.
