By Correspondent in Abuja.
The Abuja Police Command has arrested four suspects for allegedly looting goods at an Abuja shopping mall, Next Cash ‘N Carry, Abuja, gutted by fire on Sunday.
The Police Public Relations Officer ( PPRO) for the FCT Police DSP Josephine Adeh, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.
According to her,the suspects who made attempts to cart away goods from the mall and promptly arrested are: Ali Audu, (18);Yahaya Yunusa, (20); and Sahabi Abubakar,( 20)
The police image maker said contrary to the news making the rounds of massive looting, there was no successful case of such from the scene of the incident.
She explained that what happened was that, well-meaning members of the surrounding communities came out enmasse and helped in evacuating goods and other valuables from the supermarket to a safe location within the area.
This development,she added,was done with the supervision of Police officers of the command on ground, pointing out the suspects were those who decided to loot and caught.
She said “On December 26, 2021, at about 11:15a.m, there was a report of a fire outbreak incidence at Next Cash and Carry Supermarket at Jahi District of the FCT.
“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.
“It was also to minimize damage, extinguish the inferno and ensure the maintenance of law and order.
“The four suspects have been arrested for attempting to loot,” she said.
The PPRO, who said investigation had commenced, to ascertain the cause of the fire, added that so far, no casualty had been recorded.
