Newspaper vendors in Abuja will on Friday stage a protest in reaction to the killing of one of its member by a police officer in the convoy of House Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila on Thursday around federal secretariat.
President of the Abuja Newspapers Distributors Association (ANDA) Benji Obute said newspapers will not be shared in the city until 10.a.m. on Friday in protest against the killing.
Obute called on all members to converge at the distribution centre in Area 1, for a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the Speaker and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to the incident.
“Sequel to the sad incident that happened this afternoon at the Federal Secretariat, which resulted in the death of one of us, Mr Ifeanyichukwu Elechi, a mass action will be carried out between the hours of 6am and 10am.
“A peaceful protest to call the attention of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, whose security detail fired the shot, and the IGP to the brutal murder will be staged within that period.
“Media Houses are enjoined to cooperate with us and ensure that no single paper is leaked out as any paper that defaults will be sanctioned. We must join hands to get justice for the fallen vendor,” Obute said.
The House Speaker has however expressed his “regret,” saying he was “personally distraught” by the incident.
He explained that the killing was as a result of a “stray bullet” as his security aide shot in the air to disperse “unidentifiable men” who appeared to cross his convoy after he had stopped by to exchange pleasantries with the vendors.
The killing comes at a time Nigerians are still agitating for an end to police brutality. Many Nigerian security operatives, especially those guarding VIPs are notorious for overzealousness and indiscriminate use of force against citizens.
