Anthony Iwuoma
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Police Command, said it arrested three suspects for allegedly trying to loot Next Cash&Carry Supermarket in the Jabi area of the FCT, which was razed by fire, on Sunday.
The Command also said it had begun a probe of the fire outbreak to ascertain it’s cause.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Josephine Adeh, in a press statement, in Abuja, said the Commissioner of Police in charge of the FCT, CP Sunday Babaji, had ordered investigation into the incident.
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She added that the CP had visited the scene of the fire with the Minister for State, FCT, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, for an on-the-spot assessment and supervision of activities.
“Today Sunday, December 26, 2021, at about 11:15hours there was a report of a fire outbreak incidence at Next Cash and Carry Supermarket at Jahi District of the FCT,” the statement read in part.
“Upon receipt of the information, a team of Police officers attached to Mabushi Police Divisional Headquarters responded swiftly to the scene where a concerted effort of the Federal Fire Service, FCT Fire Service, Julius Berger Fire Service and members of other security agencies were deployed to manage the situation, minimise damage, extinguish the inferno and ensure the maintenance of law and order.
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“Well-meaning members of the surrounding communities came out en masse and helped in evacuating goods and other valuables from the supermarket to a safe location within the area with the supervision of Police Officers of the Command who were on ground.
“This is contrary to the news making the rounds as there is no successful case of looting or carting away of goods from the store.
“The suspects who made attempts to cart away goods from the store and were promptly arrested including one Ali Audu,18; Yahaya Yunusa, 20; and Sahabi Abubakar, 20.
“Investigation is currently ongoing to ascertain the cause of the fire. So far, no casualty has been recorded.”
Next Cash&Carry Supermarket, unarguably one of the biggest in the FCT, was on Sunday gutted by fire caused by yet unknown source. The supermarket is rumoured to belong to Peter Obi, former Anambra State governor and vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the last elections in 2015.