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The Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory Command, Haruna Garba, has revealed that an operative of the Department of State Services who was involved in a shooting incident that left several persons injured and hospitalised, has been arrested and detained.
Garba disclosed this in a telephone interview with our correspondent on Saturday, noting that investigation was still ongoing into the incident, while denying allegations that the DSS operative was walking free.
“The DSS operative is still in our custody; he has not been released, and investigation is still ongoing,” the CP said.
Meanwhile, Sunday PUNCH can confirm that victims of the market shooting are currently receiving treatment at some hospitals in Abuja.
A violent protest which was subsequently quelled by the police had erupted on Thursday night following the shooting of a fashion designer by a DSS operative who also shot indiscriminately and also injured several others.
It was learnt that a client brought the operative to the fashion designer’s shop for allegedly failing to deliver some clothes on an agreed date.
A trader in the market, who did not want her name in print for fear of victimisation, said some of the fashion designer’s colleagues, who learnt about the matter intervened but that their interference did not go down well with the DSS operative.
According to her, the security agent was arrested and detained by the police after he allegedly shot the fashion designer.
“A female customer of the fashion designer brought the DSS. She said the fashion designer did not sew her clothes. Her colleagues joined and defended her. The issue led to a serious argument. The DSS operative was arrested and detained at Wuse Market Police Station,” the trader added.
The spokesman of the DSS, Peter Afunanya, had in a statement on Thursday said the secret police was investigating the matter.
He said, “The attention of the Department of State Services has been drawn to an incident that occurred a few hours ago between its staff and a mob at the Garki Market, Abuja. Information at the disposal of the Service was that its FCT Command responded to an SOS from their field operatives who allegedly came under a mob attack in the said market.
“Consequently, the Service has commenced an investigation into the matter. The public is assured that details of the inquiries will be communicated as soon as possible. The Service assures that it will not hesitate to mete out a proper disciplinary measure(s) to its staff if found culpable or running foul of Standard Operating Procedures on dealing with a member of the public.”
