By our reporter
Police fired tear gas cannisters today at local contractors massed in peaceful protest in front of the gate leading to Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Barrister Nyesom Wike’s office in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.
The contractors said they are being owed billions of Naira in contracts already executed and certified for payment by the FCT Administration (FCTA).
They claimed that the brutal police action on them was ordered by Wike. It was the second time within a month that they had protested over non-payment for jobs executed.
The stage for today’s incident was set when the contractors converged on the gate, which leads to FCTA Secretariat located at 1 Kapital Street, Area 11, Garki, Abuja.
No sooner had they begun the peaceful protest than armed police men arrived the scene and started shooting tear gas at them, arresting and brutalizing others even as some of the protesters scampered for dear life in all directions.
The development created a heavy gridlock on nearby access roads as motorists got caught in the pandemonium.
A video from the scene showed thick white smoke hanging in the air just as intermittent gun shots were heard.
A spokesman of the contractors, Mr Andy Kor, told a journalist that they were there merely to protest over non-payment after several attempts to get the authorities to pay failed.
He added that all their jobs were completed and certified for payment, saying none of them had received any bank deposit alert yet.
Exciting package. Well done š