On Monday, another devastating violence was wreaked out in Karu, one of the densely populated suburbs of the capital city of Nigeria, Abuja.
Witnesses revealed that at least 16 people have been killed and scores wounded, after Shiite protesters attempted to break a barricade of the Nigerian Soldiers, around the flyover, in Karu.
While some of the deceased died after being rammed by cars driven by panic drivers, most of them were hit by Nigerian Soldiers’ bullets, allegedly, which they reportedly rained on the protesters and passersby indiscriminately, some witnesses said.
“They have killed about 16 to 22 people”, a witness in the neighbourhood disclosed, on Monday night.
“Bodies are everywhere, they are everywhere, without anyone even attempting to evacuate them.”
A witness stated that the Soldiers are responsible for most of the deaths, attributing only about four to persons rammed by speeding vehicles, or an elderly woman who fell and hit her head against the median, while scampering for safety.
“Yes, the Soldiers were killing the people, they said they wanted to break their barricade near the overhead bridge in Karu”, another witness said separately.
“I cannot say how many people were killed, but they are so many dead bodies still on the main road and streets.”
The witness also said that the protesters were not armed with guns and live ammunition, stating that, “only the Soldiers were carrying guns.”
The first witness pointed out that about 3 dead bodies that were taken to a Muslim burial ground in Karu, were rejected, because they were suspected as being Shiite members.
“They were taken there to bury as Muslims, but the people in charge said they cannot be buried, because they were not Muslims, they were Shiites”, the witness said.
Other witnesses stated that the entire Karu axis has been on lock down after the violence broke out. Residents in the area are now finding it difficult to return home after closing from their workplaces in downtown, Abuja.
It remained unclear however, when normalcy would return to the area.