The family of Abubakar Yaqub, the Chief Imam of the Kuchibuyi community in the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, has been thrown into mourning following the alleged killing of his son, Attahiru Abubakar, by police officers during a land dispute on Saturday.
The incident, which occurred amidst a clash over community land, also left Attahiru’s elder brother, Abass, critically injured and receiving treatment in a local hospital.
According to eyewitness and family members, police officers reportedly opened fire while responding to a standoff involving residents and a private estate developer accused of attempting to seize communal land, as reported by PUNCH METRO.
However, the FCT Police Command has denied any wrongdoing. In a statement issued on Saturday, police spokesperson Josephine Adeh said officers were deployed to the area following a distress call about a civil unrest linked to a land dispute. “The Divisional Police Officers of Byazin and Kubwa swiftly mobilised to the scene and brought the situation under control,” the statement read. She emphasized that arrests had been made and that an investigation was ongoing. “The conflict was a communal matter and not caused by police,” Adeh added.
Tensions remain high in the Kuchibuyi community, where many residents have challenged the police version of events.
A resident who spoke anonymously for fear of reprisal told the media that officers fired indiscriminately at unarmed civilians. “Three people were shot — Attahiru died instantly, his brother is in the hospital, and the Imam was also injured. The police are covering it up,” the resident alleged, adding that six young men were arrested on sight during the chaos.
Despite repeated follow-up attempts, the police spokesperson did not respond to inquiries about why their statement failed to acknowledge the shooting or fatalities. The Commissioner of Police, Ajao Adewale, meanwhile, condemned what he described as attacks on officers sent to restore order and warned that such actions would not be tolerated.
