Abuja: Vendor hit by Gbajabiamila’s security aide’s stray bullet dies

A security aide, attached to House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, allegedly shot a stray bullet that hit a newspaper vendor who died Thursday night in Abuja.

The deceased was allegedly hit in the head.

Daily Times reports that an eyewitness at the scene said there was confusion at the Federal Secretariat, Abuja, when the shot was fired.

The witness said further said that the victim was rushed to the National Hospital “unfortunately he has passed away,”.

“it is customary of the speaker to give out cash anytime he passes through the area. However, yesterday, his convoy was surrounded by unidentified people.

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The Chairman of the Newspapers Vendors Association in FCT, Etim Eteng, said: “The vendors and other hawkers usually run after VIPs and lawmakers whenever they see them. In fact, they can identify the big men by their vehicles. So, the vendors flocked around the speaker’s convoy and he gave them some money but a gunshot just went off. The bullet hit Ifeanyi in the head and he fell down. The fellow who fired the shot said he wanted to fire into  the air.”

Dr Tayo Haastrup, The National Hospital spokesman, confirmed that the vendor died of gunshot injuries.

Officials of the speaker’s office promised to send a statement last night, but failed to.

Efforts to reach the FCT Police spokesman Mariam Yusuf, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), were abortive.

But a senior officer confirmed the incident, but said it was not a policeman that fired the shot.