Police Kill Labourer, Injure Three in Ebonyi

Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki

Men of the Crack Squad of the Ebonyi State Police Command yesterday shot dead a yet-to-be-identified Labourer, and critically injured three other persons in the state.

The incident, which happened at Ugwuechara junction within the state capital, started when the Crack Team stopped a bike man and wanted to confiscate his motorcycle thinking he was into ‘yahoo’ (fraudster) business.

An eyewitness narrated that the bike man introduced himself to the policemen as a military personnel but the Crack Team started to molest him.

“As the policemen removed his cap and started hitting him with their guns and the bike man tried to resist them, possibly to snatch one of their guns, one of the team members fired, which killed one labour seekers, who usually gather at the junction to look for daily job.

“Another three persons were also critically wounded and were rushed to the hospital. The corpse and the bike man were later taken to the station by the men of the Crack Squad,” the source narrated.

Meanwhile, the Special Assistant to the Governor on Internal security, Ebonyi Local Government Area, Hon. Obinna Mbam, confirmed the incident.

He said that normalcy has returned to the area, and assured the people that the perpetrators must be brought to book. The individual who claimed to be a soldier was unable to provide identification.

However, the police spokesman, DSP Joshua Ukandu, said that the officer and the individual involved have been arrested.

The police spokesman said: “In response to the rising incidents of motorcycle theft and snatching in Abakaliki, officers from the Command were conducting a routine patrol on the old Enugu-Abakaliki road near the Ugwuaechara area when they stopped an individual riding a motorcycle to request the motorcycle’s particulars.

“As the officers attempted to arrest him for this reason, he resisted and began to grapple with one of the officer’s rifles. This struggle resulted in an accidental discharge of ammunition, which tragically resulted in the death of one man and injuries to three others.”

The police assured the public that a thorough investigation would be carried out, and any person found culpable will face the full wrath of the law.