Police arrest one suspect in Abuja market crisis

The police said that one suspect had been arrested in connection with the crisis at Dei-Dei Market in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Monday.
The spokeswoman of the FCT Police Command, DSP Altine Daniel, who confirmed the arrest to the News Agency of Nigeria, said five vehicles were damaged during the crisis.
Daniel also said that two shops in the market were burnt by rioters, but added that calm had been restored to the area.
NAN correspondents who visited the scene reports that armed soldiers and stern-looking anti-riot policemen had been deployed to the area to forestall further crisis.
Eyewitnesses said the riot started following argument between a commercial motorcyclists and a female trader at the Dei-Dei market at about 8am.
They said that the commercial motorcycle operator conveyed the woman and a bag of rice to the market but that the bag of rice fell and got burst.
The witnesses said that other operators attracted to the scene started to fight with traders who came to intervene, leading to destruction of vehicles and shops.
NAN reports that though normalcy had returned to the market, some traders expressed fears that they might be attacked in the night.
Following the incident, the Police Area Commander in charge of Kubwa, ACP Tony Olofu, met with traders as part of efforts to ensure lasting peace.
After the meeting, Olofu confirmed to NAN that normalcy had been restored, adding that some shops had opened for business.
He said that no life was lost but some of the rioters sustained minor injuries.