Abuja city, the federal capital territory on Wednesday, November 8, went on lockdown as taxi drivers operating in the city center set up bonfires and blocked major roads over the alleged shooting of their colleague by a soldier attached to the city's task force.
According to multiple reports making the rounds online, the protest started from the popular Wuse market and quickly spread to other parts of the capital.
Eyewitness accounts have it that the protesters are blocking vehicles and harassing motorists driving around the market, as the protesters said a taxi driver was killed by a task force in the market on Wednesday morning.
One of the protesting taxi drivers, identified as David Johnson, said the victim was shot by a security personnel attached to the task force. “That is how the task force normally terrorise us,” Mr. Johnson said.
Another protester, who identified himself as Orne, said the shot victim was not dead but was rushed to the hospital. “We won’t take it anymore,” he said.
Police officers have been deployed to major areas in the city to calm the situation, while the market remained shut.
The incident also caused heavy vehicular traffic as drivers made u-turns to avoid being caught up in the crisis.
Crisis in Abuja as Taxi Drivers clash with FCT Task Force pic.twitter.com/XfbVcSrpfg— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) November 8, 2017