THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Muhammad Musa Bello has announced that the building materials market at Dei-Dei would be re-opened on Friday, May 27, after being closed for a week.
This was disclosed in a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Minster, Anthony Ogunleye, on Thursday.
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“Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has announced the re-opening of the Dei-Dei building materials market and the adjoining markets which were shut following the crisis that erupted at the market on the 18th of May, 2022,” the statement said.
Describing the crisis as an accident hijacked by hoodlums rather than an ethnic clash, Bello said the market would be placed under proper supervision following its re-opening.
He also noted that activities of commercial motorcyclists, popularly known as ‘okada’, would be regulated henceforth.
According to the statement, community heads, religious leaders and other stakeholders had agreed during a meeting with the minister to fish out criminals causing damage within the Dei-Dei market and environs.
“The conclusion of our meeting is that all the communities agreed that what happened was not a tribal or religious crisis. What happened was just an unfortunate accident that was overtaken by hoodlums in the community who created havoc.
“The general consensus now is that every community will make sure that miscreants and hoodlums are flushed out,” Bello said, according to the statement.
The minister, in the same vein noted that many structures in the market were distorting the Abuja Master Plan, adding that a technical committee would be constituted to provide a comprehensive report on measures to restructure the area within four weeks.
“The committee, which has four weeks to submit its report is chaired by TPL Ibrahim Ismaila, the Senior Special Assistant to the Minister on Land and Urban and Regional Planning and draws membership from the local and business community of the Dei-Dei area, the security agencies as well as officials of the FCT Administration,” the statement added.
The Dei-Dei building materials market was closed following a violent clash that erupted in the area during which at least four people died.
The crisis began after a motorcycle rider, conveying a female passenger, fell on the road in an attempt to overtake a trailer, leading to her death.
Angry witnesses set fire on the motorcycle, leading to a rampage by okada riders during which shops and goods worth billions of naira were set ablaze.
Lives were also lost in the violent clash, while several persons sustained serious injuries.
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.