Traders Desert Abuja Market Over Bomb Scare

Traders at the Wuse Mar
ket, Abuja, last Tuesday hurriedly closed their shops due to a bomb scare.
The Tide correspondent who visited the market reported that the traders left their shops when an alarm was raised about an object suspected to be an improvised explosive device sighted in the market.
Consequently, FCT authorities sealed off the market.
Traders were seen in groups in front of the market while security personnel conducted “stop and search’’ on vehicles and persons entering the market.
Commenting on the situation, some of the traders told our correspondent that they came to the market and found that the place was locked.
Mr Benedict Annie, one of the traders, said: “I came to the market this morning and met people outside, and was told that the market has been locked.
“I don’t know what is happening; we don’t know if they got any information about anything from anywhere.’’
Another trader, Mr Emeka Okorie, said he got information that some people planted a bomb inside the market.
“That is why you can see everybody outside. As you can see, people are refusing to go in to sell their wares,” even as the market has been opened,’’ he said.
Mrs Joy Anigboro also said she met the market gate locked at about 8 a.m., but she did not know what was happening as people said that a bomb was detected in the market.
Reacting to the situation, the FCT Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Altine Daniel, however, told reporters on telephone that the police were in the market on a routine check.
She denied that a bomb was found in the market.
However, It was learnt that three markets, the Wuse, Garki and Utako were closed from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. based on intelligence report that bombs were planted in the markets.
The markets have, however, been reopened for business.