One Musa Adamu has been killed and two others injured from the stray bullet fired by an operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), Ajayi Abayomi, in Abuja.
The incident happened on January 19 at Karmajiji village in the Abuja Municipal Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT when the DSS operative had an encounter with a pickup driver whom the operative said obstructed traffic.
Witnesses said trouble started when the pickup vehicle suddenly broke down at the junction leading to Karmajiji village, leading to a traffic holdup.
They said Abayomi driving a Peugeot 406, was held up in the jam, alighted from his car and slapped the driver.
According to a witness, Muazu Kabiru, “tension rose when Ibrahim Sarkin Samari rushed to the scene to find out what happened. Before we knew it, the DSS operative opened his car, brought out a pistol and pulled the trigger.”
He said the bullet missed Ibrahim and hit the victim, sitting in front of a shop a few meters away, adding that the stray bullet also hit two others identified as Salisu Suleiman and Yakubu Samaila, who were seated near the deceased.
“When the officer fired and missed his target, hitting Malam Musa and two others instead, an angry mob descended on him and vandalised his vehicle.
“Police officers from a nearby outpost mobilised to the scene to douse the tension. The DSS operative escaped, but his vehicle was towed to the police outpost. Musa Adamu was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jabi, where doctors later confirmed him dead. The two other victims, who sustained abdominal injuries, were treated and discharged,’’ Kabiru said.
One of the survivors, Salisu Suleiman, said “I didn’t even go close to the scene. The next thing I heard was a gunshot. Before I realised what was happening, a bullet hit me in the abdomen.”
Another witness, Shuaibu Ishaq, said the operative appeared to target Ibrahim Sarkin Samari specifically.
Ishaq said “Ibrahim went to intervene because the officer was not in uniform and was slapping the driver. The officer turned against him, rushed to his car for the pistol and fired,” adding that the remains of the deceased were yet to be buried.
He said the FCT Director of the DSS had taken up the matter and the agency had already paid the hospital bills.
“The DSS FCT has promised to pay Diyya (compensation) to the family. This is why Ibrahim, who was close to the deceased, cannot comment further; the DSS has owned up to the incident and is ready to compensate the family,” Ishaq said.
The late Adamu was a cleric and Arabic teacher and also dealt in property. He is survived by two wives, Hauwa Mohammed and Rukayyat Abdulkadir and seven children.
A Police source at the outpost said “the case involving the DSS officer has been transferred to the FCT command. However, the officer remains at large.”
The DSS were yet to make an official statement on the matter as calls placed to the known number of the agency did not connect while there is no response yet from the official mail of the agency during press time.
A DSS source said the operative defended himself with his rifle to avoid being lynched, adding that “he fired a shot, but the victims have been discharged,” the source said.
