PDP speaks on Shiite, Police clash in Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Monday called for an immediate inquest into the alleged violent clash between security forces and members of the Shiite movement, in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

The clash which was said to have rendered human and vehicular movement cumbersome, lasted for several hours as men of the Nigeria Police Force struggled to restore order in the affected parts of the city.

In a statement signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said an inquest into what truly led to the crisis would go a long way in determining the causative factors of the chaos, which expectedly grounded business activities in the city centre.

“Our party is gravely worried over the handling of security in the nation’s capital and the near breakdown of law and order, which resulted in stampede and disruption of public and private businesses in the city centre.

“The PDP has noted that the development is linked with protests over the continued refusal of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led federal government to release the leader of the group, Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, despite being granted bail by courts of competent jurisdiction.

“The PDP and indeed all lovers of democracy across the country are deeply concerned by the continued erosion of democratic tenets by the APC administration, resulting in avoidable crisis in various parts of the country,” he said.

The leading opposition party called for immediate solution to prevent the crisis from further escalation.