The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammad Bello, Monday, declared a dusk to dawn curfew in Bwari Area Council.
The action followed the killing of three persons in clashes between Gbagis and Hausas in the area.
Mr. Bello announced the curfew shortly after a closed-door meeting with leaders of the area council and went straight to assess the extent of damages caused by the conflict.
He told reporters that three persons have died as a result of the fighting, adding that the curfew will start from 6 p.m.to 6 a.m. in Bwari township.
This newspaper learnt rioters prevented firefighters from putting out fire in the market in the early hours of the day but only returned at about 8, pm when heavily-armed security operatives might have been deployed to the area.
Read also: FCT Minister, Bello Declares Curfew in Bwari after Three Killed in Gbagyi, Hausa Clashes
But at the time they arrived, most of the shops and goods had been gutted by fire.
The deployment of armed soldiers and police officers to the scene eventually doused the tension. By then, most of the shops in the market were completely burnt
The recent turbanning of a new Hausa traditional leader “Sarkin Bwari,” is said to have triggered the crisis.
This, it was gathered, was because the new ruler came from a different lineage from the Gbagyi people who own the title of traditional ruler, “Esu Bwari.”
The Gbagyi people were said to have accused the FCT minister and others of preventing the natives from being the traditional ruler of the town.
According to the natives, the new Sarkin Bwari did not deserve to be turbanned because he was not a native, but from a community in Niger State.Production Details
