Several people were reportedly injured, although the exact number of casualties remains unconfirmed at press time.
The Nigerian Police has been called out by the Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe.
This is as she condemned the reported police shooting of unarmed residents protesting the demolition of their homes in the Karsana area of Abuja.
According to eyewitness accounts and viral videos shared on social media, security operatives allegedly opened fire on residents peacefully protesting the demolition exercise by the FCT Administration under Nyesom Wike.
Several people were reportedly injured.
Reacting to the incident on Wednesday, Senator Kingibe in a statement expressed outrage over what she described as “state-sponsored trauma” against vulnerable citizens in the nation’s capital.
Her statement read:
"We can not build a just society by bulldozing communities without compassion or firing at citizens instead of listening to them. This incident represents a gross abuse of power and a violation of the fundamental rights of our people. The pain, fear, and indignity inflicted on these residents is something no human being deserves, least of all in our nation’s capital.
I call on the relevant authorities to act swiftly to investigate this heinous act, bring those responsible to justice, and ensure the victims receive the care and compensation they need. The government must remember that its duty is to protect, not persecute. We must rethink this approach to urban development that treats our people as obstacles instead of stakeholders."
Eyewitnesses from Karsana told reporters that residents were given little or no notice before the demolitions began.
A resident, who identified himself as Musa Aliyu, said, “We just woke up to bulldozers and armed police. People were crying, trying to carry out what they could. Then they started shooting. It was chaos.”
Another resident, Mrs. Aisha Nwafor, said, “These are our homes. We are not criminals. We were just begging them to stop or give us more time.”
Senator Kingibe called on authorities to immediately launch an investigation into the incident, punish those found responsible, and provide medical support and compensation to the victims.