The shooting by security operatives at an uncompleted building behind Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja last Friday which claimed eight lives took a new turn on monday as Garki Modern Market Traders Association have vowed to drag the security service to court claiming those who were killed were its members and were innocent.
This is just as the death toll in the shooting has risen to 10 as one of the injured victims died yesterday at the hospital.
The Garki Modern Market Traders' Association has started briefing its lawyers with a view to dragging the Department of State Service, DSS,to court over the killing of its members at an uncompleted building, behind the Apo Legislative Quarters, in Abuja, last week.
The Secretary of the association, Murtala Abubakar, said that they had already reported the murder of their members to the Senate and the National Human Rights Commission for appropriate actions against the murderers.
Abubakar lamented: "Those people are eligible traders trading in our market so I don't see why they should be killed."
According to him, "We lost two of our members as now, while eight were seriously wounded by the soldiers who shot them at close range. Five others are missing as we speak.
"The security agents did not recover anything not even a gun. They were just saying that our members opened fire on them but they were just saying it to cover up because they don't have any proof that these people are Boko Haram"
Abubakar added that the DSS was still holding two of the association's members who were arrested on Friday morning as they went back to collect their property from the scene of massacre.
Meanwhile the Abuja Keke Napep Chairman, Musa Ibrahim Said they have taken the remaining two bodies from the mortuary although one of the bodies has been at the Asokoro Hospital mortuary since Friday.
In his word; "We took seven bodies and gave them to their relatives since the day of the attack. The body that was deposited in mortuary was as a result of our not being able to get in touch with the family.
"We have been able to establish contact with all the families of the slain men. Meanwhile, we just lost another victim who was rushed to the hospital that Friday. His name was Nasiru Adamu, and hailed from ZamfaraState.
"The seven that were killed that day were all our Keke NAPEP members; we issued them with identity cards, which they were carrying at the time of their death.
"They had lived in that uncompleted building for over two years and were paying N200 weekly to the security guard of the building as a caretaker of the landlord.
"Even the owner of the building was aware that these people were living in the house. He had given them a quit notice and they were preparing to leave a day before the attack.
"After the attack, there were no security operatives around the building; it was our members who even informed the nearest police station to come around.
"If those who were left in the building were actually Boko Haram, they would have run away after the attack.
"As we know, those who lost their lives and the survivors were not Boko Haram members. We want the Federal Government to thoroughly investigate the matter and punish whoever is behind the dastardly act because it is not acceptable.
Meanwhile, one of the victims died on Monday, bringing the death toll to 10.
Nine persons had earlier been killed by bullets fired by security agents when they stormed an uncompleted storey building in the neighbourhood in search of 'terrorists' whom they claimed tried to stop them from uncovering buried arms in the compound.
Hmmmm.....this is really tragic,I pray that their souls find eternal rest and the police,house of assembly and Federal Government should please launch an investigation into this matter. We want to know what really happened??!!!
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