Son of Abuja Chief Imam Killed in Police Shooting Over Land Dispute

A tragic land dispute in the Kuchibuyi community of Abuja’s Bwari area has left the family of Chief Imam Abubakar Yaqub in mourning after his son, Attahiru Abubakar, was allegedly shot and killed by police on Saturday. According to witnesses and family members, police officers opened fire during a standoff related to contested community land, resulting in Attahiru’s death and injuries to his elder brother, Abass, who remains hospitalised. The Chief Imam himself was also reportedly shot during the incident.

While the Federal Capital Territory Police Command claimed in a Saturday statement that officers responded to civil unrest linked to a communal land dispute and managed to restore order, residents and relatives have accused the police of excessive force and attempting to conceal the full extent of the violence. Police spokesperson Josephine Adeh maintained that the conflict was a communal issue, not provoked by officers, and condemned what she described as youth attacks on law enforcement.

However, the narrative has been strongly challenged by locals. Sanusi Abubakar, another son of the Chief Imam, told SK Blog that an estate developer trying to seize community land brought in soldiers and vigilantes before police arrived. “After an initial confrontation was calmed, police returned and started shooting. My brother Attahiru was shot dead, Abass was hit, and even our father was shot,” he said.

Eyewitness accounts support these claims, with a resident alleging that the police fired indiscriminately and later arrested several young men in the area. “They’re trying to cover it up,” the resident said, adding that the same estate manager had brought soldiers to the community just two days earlier.

Photos reviewed by SK Blog show Attahiru’s body with a visible gunshot wound to the chest. Police did not confirm the shooting or fatality in their initial release, and when contacted for further clarification, the spokesperson declined to expand beyond her earlier statement.

The killing of Attahiru Abubakar has sparked outrage within the community and renewed concerns over police conduct in civil disputes, contributing to a growing national conversation on alleged police brutality across Nigeria.