Newspaper vendors in Abuja on Friday protested over the Thursday afternoon shooting of one of its members Ifeanyi Elechi by a security detail in the convoy of Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila.
Chairman of the Abuja Vendors Association Etim Iwara had in a letter on Thursday informed members of the association to converge at Area 1 axis for the protest.
Mr Iwara urged them not to distribute newspapers. Watch video from scene of protest below;
It was gathered that the security detail who shot Mr Elechi is an operative of the Department of State Service.
Mr Gbajabiamila confirmed the incident in a statement on Twitter thread earlier on Friday that the “officer who fired the fatal shot has been suspended from the convoy pending the conclusion of the investigation.”
According to him, Elechi was hit by the stray bullet, which was only intended to disperse a crowd while he was exchanging pleasantries with the newspaper vendors on his was out of the National Assembly.
“A horrible incident has taken place. This evening as I left the national assembly, I stopped, as usual, to exchange pleasantries with the newspaper vendors at the corner,” he explained.
“Many of them have known me since I first moved to Abuja and it was a friendly exchange. Unfortunately, after the convoy set out in continuation of movement, unidentified men obstructed the convoy which got the attention of security men in the convoy who shot into the air to disperse them.”
The Lagos lawmaker narrated that some hours after they got to their destination, he was informed that the victim, identified as Ifeanyi had been hit by a stray bullet.
The speaker commiserated with the vendors and deceased’s family, saying he values life and respects people.