Tension in Abuja as Police Open Fire on Protesters Over Demolition in Karsana Community, Two Shot

Two indigenous residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sunday Danjuma and Jacob Audu, sustained gunshot injuries after police officers reportedly opened fire on protesters in the Karsana community, Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC). The incident occurred during a heated protest on Monday, following the demolition of several residential structures in the area.

According to eyewitnesses, the protest began peacefully as community members, including women and youth, gathered to express their frustration over what they described as “unjust and forceful” demolition of their homes by government officials. Many of the affected residents are said to have lived in the area for over a decade and claim they were not issued proper notices before the demolitions began.

Tensions escalated when police operatives, deployed to disperse the gathering, allegedly fired live rounds into the crowd. In the ensuing chaos, Sunday Danjuma and Jacob Audu were hit by bullets and immediately rushed to a nearby hospital for medical attention. Their current condition remains critical but stable, according to sources close to the family.

Community leader, Mallam Ibrahim Gimba, who condemned the incident, described the use of force as excessive and called for a thorough investigation into the actions of the security personnel involved. “Our people were only trying to defend their homes and ask for fairness. It is wrong and unacceptable for the police to respond with bullets,” he said.

Residents are also calling on the FCT administration to halt further demolition activities and engage with the local community in dialogue. Human rights activists have also begun raising concerns over the conduct of security agencies during civil demonstrations and the increasing number of alleged human rights violations in urban resettlement areas.

Efforts to get a response from the FCT Police Command were unsuccessful at the time of this report, but a senior officer who spoke anonymously said an internal inquiry has been launched to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

The Karsana incident is the latest in a growing list of clashes between urban poor communities and government authorities over land use and housing rights in the rapidly expanding capital city.