Officers attached to the Gwagwa division of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) have resisted attempts by unknown individuals hiding under the umbrella of the #EndBadGovernance protest to attack the popular Gwagwa market in Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

A visit to the market by The Guardian showed the presence of security operatives at strategic positions around the area, keeping vigil to ensure that traders are not attacked and their belongings are not looted.

An eyewitness, who simply identified himself as Okafor, said that the attempt started on day one of the protest but was resisted by police operatives. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Inspector in the division disclosed that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) received intelligence about an imminent attack on the market to carry out looting and swiftly deployed men of the force to foil any such attempt.

The Inspector said: “Yes, the attempt started on day one of the protest, but by the grace of God, our men were able to prevent the hoodlums from gaining access to the market to carry out their nefarious activities.”