Chaos in Abuja, as Okada riders, wood traders’ clash turn bloody

By Sarah NEGEDU 
It was a bloody Wednesday at the nation’s capital, Abuja, where at least two persons lost her life and several others seriously injured following a riot that broke out at the popular Building Material market in Dei-Dei.
Crisis started after a woman allegedly fell off a commercial motorcycle and was crushed by a moving articulated vehicle. The incident infuriated youths in the area who burnt down the accidented motorcycle, accusing the motorcyclist of reckless riding.
The crisis later took an ethnic dimension when motorcycle riders, mostly from the northern part of the country, reportedly took vengeance to the timber market which is largely occupied by Igbo traders from the southeastern part of the country. 
The aggrieved bikers set a section of the market on fire, destroying goods worth billions of naira in the process.
Many traders specializing in the sales of plywood and related products lamented they suffered huge losses as a result of the riot.One of the traders, Obiora Nnaemeka said he lost timber goods worth over a billion naira to the outbreak.
“See someone warehouse that has over N1 billion. What did we do to the Hausas in this country. See how houses and other properties are being destroyed,” Nnaemeka lamented.
Though eyewitnesses say the violence later spread into Dei-Dei community itself, our correspondent gathered that the police were drafted to quell the situation from further escalating.
However, attempts to get the police reaction on the incident proved abortive as the Spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, ASP Josephine Adeh, failed to respond to calls put across to her. Adeh was however reported to have said she was yet to get the full details on the matter.
“Right now we are there and we are trying to calm the situation down,” Adeh stated.