The fear of reprisal attack has become the beginning of wisdom in some four or so Abuja high density areas. These are Waru, Igbasama, Igbakasa and Wumba, all adjoining settlements on the Kabusa – Apo – Lokogoma in Abuja where no males have been sleeping in the night for the fourth day running.
An ECWA Church has already been burnt down at Waru followed by the burning of a Mosque at Igbasama. It is a continuation of the anarchy that broke out in the Apo Area after the #EndSARS protest took an ethnic identity spark in that part of Abuja Monday afternoon.
Destruction at Primary School Junction, Apo
Still at the Junction
The current tension that has seen all males in a war mood springs from what local sources told Intervention to be the sighting of a large number of unknown faces in an abandoned estate called Malaysia Garden yesterday night. In any case, males have been on a high state of alert since Monday when the violence started with a stomach churning roasting of a man at Kabusa junction that day and the subsequent burning of numerous motor cars at the Mechanics Village in Apo.
In between that has been the burning of the entire low-down spot named Primary School Junction at Apo where food sellers, building materials and sundry traders earn their living. It is equally understood there have been skirmishes at Gudu Market dominated by vehicle spare parts sellers. It is not clear whether this is what is going on in other settlements in and around the city.
A previous picture of an FCT Police patrol practice. The citizens in Waru, etc would like it if the police could be their friends in the next few days
A map showing some parts of Abuja
Intervention understood that while some people relocated to other parts of the metropolis for safety from some of these settlements such as Wumba and Igbakasa in addition to Waru and Igbasama, others who stayed back in any of these settlements have not been going to work in the aftermath of the initial skirmishes on Monday.
For the second time in the year, the usually highly congested Apo ShopRite main Avenue is almost free of traffic. The first time this happened was at the onset of COVID-19 when people deserted the streets as was the case across the world. Those familiar with the road describe the present traffic situation on the road as unbelievable, ShopRite being where the middle class and Nouveau riche go shopping for their provisions. The location of the Mechanics Village there also explains part of the congestion which is still a one lane road. Today, the road is almost free as inhabitants are all sleeping at noon so that all males can be awake in the night in anticipation of a scorched earth operation.
Intervention’s source said soldiers are on patrol but no security forces have gone to the area or other similar settlements where unreported killing do take place in diffuse situations such as this. When security agents do so, it is mostly to arrest suspects after the fact of violence.
