Hundreds of commuters plying the Kaduna -Abuja Express way were yesterday stranded as angry motorists blocked the road following the accidental killing of a traveller by men of the Department of State Services (DSS ) along the express way. It was learnt that the victim and her five children who boarded a commercial vehicle from Abuja to Kaduna was hit by a stray bullet when the men of the DSS fired at a vehicle that was also plying the road. The incident occurred at around 2:20p.m. near Jere town, about 200 kilometres away from Kaduna.
The corpse of the woman was brought to the Toll Gate located at Kakau/ Sabon Gayan community near Kaduna metropolis, prompting angry reaction from motorists who witnessed the incident. Both sides of the expressway was blocked by the motorists, preventing commuters who were either heading towards Abuja or coming to Kaduna. The DSS operatives were said to have allegedly opened fire on vehicle which they attempted to stop, however the bullet hit the vehicle the woman and her children were travelling in, killing her instantly. According to an eyewitness who spoke with THISDAY on phone, the DSS operatives were six in number and were driving in two Toyota Hilux vans, but could not say exactly say what led to the shooting.
“We actually don’t know what really happened but we only saw the DSS operatives about six of them arriving in two Hilux vehicle. “Immediately they saw a vehicle coming they, tried to stop the driver but he refused to stop so they shot at him, but unfortunately they missed their target and hit at the commercial vehicle conveying the victim and her five children. She died on the spot “This angered motorists that witnessed the incident as they block the highway, the eyewitness said. Hundreds of commuters coming into Kaduna, Zaria and going to other nothern states like Katsina, Kano, Zamfara, Sokoto, Jigawa were stranded for several hours including members of House of Representatives Committee on Army who were on the way to Zamfara State. It took the intervention of the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Adamu Ibrahim, who pleaded with the motorists to pave the way for other vehicles plying the highway. The police commissioner disclosed that the DSS suspects had been arrested and called for calm, assuring that the incident would be investigated.
