Members of a patrol team who are suspected of killing a 24-year-old man on the state’s Onitsha-Owerri Road are to be detained, according to an order issued by Nnaghe Itam, the commissioner of police for Anambra State.
It was reported that the victim, only known as Ebuka, was shot and killed on Wednesday while traveling along the Onitsha-Owerri Road by a group of police officers.
The deceased was taken to a nearby hospital right away, according to witnesses at the scene, where he was treated and later declared dead from his gunshot wounds.
“The police officers who shot the boy immediately ran into their vehicle and quickly left the scene,” the sources claimed. The deceased’s body has been deposited at the hospital’s mortuary.”
Harrison Gwamnishu, an X.com user who claimed to have knowledge of the incident, also responded to the development by claiming that the deceased was shot by the police on Wednesday while driving on the highway.
Gwamnishu stated that the police officers who killed the person fled right away in order to avoid being held accountable. He posted videos and images from the event on his X page.
He wrote, “(A) 24-year-old Ebuka was allegedly shot and killed today by some police officers along Onitsha/Owerri road.
“The officers involved are currently in a hideout. Ebuka was rushed to the hospital and confirmed dead. His body has been deposited at the mortuary.”
He urged the police authorities and the Inspector General of Police’s office to address the situation and make sure the officers were prosecuted.
In response, Nigeria Police Force spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi called the incident “sad” and pledged that the force would step up measures to make sure those responsible were held accountable.
Adejobi said, “This is sad. The CPs in Anambra and Imo have been instructed by Force Headquarters to locate the men and conduct a comprehensive investigation into the situation.
“The FHQ will not in any way condone this kind of act. This will be looked into, and we will compel the command whose AOR this occurred to update us all. May his soul rest in peace, while justice must be done.”
The police officers in the patrol team had been detained, according to SP Tochukwu Ikenga, a spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, who also responded to the incident in a press statement late on Wednesday.
Ikenga further stated that the CP had ordered their detention and that a preliminary investigation had identified one of the patrol team’s corporals as the act’s perpetrator.
He said the CP’s directive followed an ongoing investigation into the murder of the victim.
He declared, “CP Itam directs the arrest of members of the police patrol team in connection with the killing of an unwitting bystander on the Onitsha-Owerri Road, Onitsha.
“A preliminary investigation indicates among the patrol team, a police corporal is the suspect in the act.
“The CP directs an immediate transfer of the case to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Awka, sues for calm and assures that the command will ensure a thorough investigation into the case for justice to prevail.
“Further development shall be communicated.”
Remember that on October 13, 2023, police officers attached to the Onitsha Area Command are suspected of shooting and killing 29-year-old Chibueze Nwakor, a father of three children, near Sokoto Road and the Main Market in Onitsha. Nwakor was a resident of Owerre-Ezukala, in the Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The deceased, who was reportedly en route to the market to buy food, was shot by security personnel on the specified date because he was unable to assist them in determining their direction.
It was reported that the policemen shot him, then leaped into their commuter Hiace shuttle bus, which was colored ash, and drove away.
Stella Nwakor, the victim’s mother, petitioned Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector General of Police, but nothing has come of it as of yet.
Residents, drivers, and commuters have bemoaned the fact that the Onitsha-Owerri Road has gained a bad reputation due to multiple police checkpoints that are used as a means of constant harassment and extortion. They claimed that drivers were no longer able to tolerate the level of extortion carried out by security personnel at roadblocks.
Published by Ejoh Caleb
