Police Arrest, Grill DSS Operative Over Abuja Market Shooting

An operative of the Department of State Services (DSS), involved in a shooting incident that left several persons injured and hospitalized, has been arrested and detained.

Naija News reports that this was revealed by the Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory Command, Haruna Garba.

Garba noted that an investigation was ongoing into the incident while denying allegations that the DSS operative was walking free.

“The DSS operative is still in our custody; he has not been released, and investigation is still ongoing,” the CP told The PUNCH.

The victims of the market shooting are currently receiving treatment at some hospitals in Abuja.

A violent protest, which was subsequently quelled by the police, had erupted on Thursday night following the shooting of a fashion designer by a DSS operative who also shot indiscriminately and injured several others.

It was learnt that a client brought the operative to the fashion designer’s shop for allegedly failing to deliver some clothes on an agreed date.

A trader in the market, who did not want her name in print for fear of victimization, said some of the fashion designer’s colleagues, who learnt about the matter, intervened but that their interference did not go down well with the DSS operative.

DSS Commences Investigation

Meanwhile, DSS spokesperson Peter Afunanya had said in a statement earlier that the service had commenced an investigation into the Garki market incident.

Afunanya vowed that details of the inquiries would be communicated to the public as soon as possible, and if found guilty, standard disciplinary measures would be taken against its staff said to have been involved in the incident.

“The attention of the Department of State Services (DSS) has been drawn to an incident that occurred a few hours ago (today, 7/9/2023) between its staff and a mob at the Garki Market, Abuja. Information at the disposal of the Service was that its FCT Command responded to an SOS from their field operatives who allegedly came under a mob attack in the said market.

“Consequently, the Service has commenced an investigation into the matter. The public is assured that details of the inquiries will be communicated as soon as possible. The Service assures that it will not hesitate to mete out proper disciplinary measure(s) to its staff if found culpable or running foul of Standard Operating Procedures on dealing with a member of the public,” the statement reads.