An operative of secret police known as Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday shot a fashion designer, Mubarak Mubarak, at Garki market Abuja with his gun.
The incident led to commotion as angry violent reaction from some youths took the intervention of Police officers from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command time to arrest and put the situation under control.
The fashion designer was hit by gunshots from the DSS operative following an altercation in the nation’s capital on Thursday, September 7, 2023.
The secret police officer was said to have been brought to the victim’s shop by a customer for allegedly failing to deliver some clothes on an agreed date.
A trader in the market disclosed that some of the fashion designer’s colleagues, who learned about the incident, intervened but their intervention did not go down well with the DSS operative.
The trader, who craved anonymity, said the operative was arrested and detained by the police after he allegedly shot Mubarak.
The incident was confirmed by the spokesperson of the FCT Police Command, SP Josephine Adeh, on Thursday.
Adeh, in a statement, noted: “In an incident at Garki International Market on September 7, 2023, an altercation arose between market occupants and certain individuals, including a DSS personnel and a tailor named Muhammad Habibu.
“The Garki Divisional Police Station mobilised officers in response to a received distress call reporting the invasion of the market by these individuals, who fired shots at a tailor known as Mubarak Mubarak.
“This incident led to some of the local youths reacting angrily and attempting to confront the DSS personnel involved. In response, the police intervened to rescue the individuals and protect public safety.
“During the incident, there was damage to a section of the Police outpost as some of the irate youths acted in a disorderly manner. It is important to note that some weapons used in the commotion have been recovered, and normalcy has now been restored.”
She quoted the FCT Commissioner of Police, Haruna Garba, as stressing his commitment to maintaining peace and respecting the rights of all citizens in Abuja.
Garba urged traders to also refrain from engaging in mischief involving public property, especially those belonging to security agencies.
In a statement on the incident, the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, said the secret police was investigating the matter.