Policeman kills Rivers youth, sparks protest

From Tony John, Port Harcourt

There was tension in Omagwa community following the shooting and killing of a youth by a policeman attached to Omagwa Police Station in Rivers State.

Daily Sun gathered that policemen from Omagwa Division had visited an area in Omagwa community in the morning, and one of the operatives shot and killed Mr Bright Chikwuma Egbule.

Though it could not be ascertained why police visited the area or the reason for the killing of the deceased at the time of filing this report, the development angered the youths, men, and women, who trooped out in protest demanding justice for the victim.

The protesters carried the remains of the victim to the police station, raising more pandemonium.

On returning from the police station, the protesters blocked the Owerri-Port Harcourt Road with the same corpse, stopping all vehicular and human movement.

A community source identified as Clinton said the community had been facing harassment and intimidation from security operatives.

He said: “Some months ago, the DSS, on the orders of a certain man, came in the dead of the night, shot sporadically, and whisked an innocent young man away. They locked him incommunicado for one month without access to either his family or lawyer.

“Last week, the same DSS returned in the dead of the night, harassed the family of Mr Felix Anonya, aka Muchacha, brutalised his wife and kids, and forcefully took him away while naked.

“The DSS, we were informed, took with them important family documents, raising concerns that they are working for an interested person seeking to cow the entire community into submission.

“Today’s incident brings to the fore the harassment my people are suffering at the hands of security personnel who are supposed to protect them but have now turned around to become their tormentors.

“It is important to state that all of the persons involved are innocent people who do not have antecedents of criminality.”

However, the Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police (SP), confirmed the killing of Egbule, adding that the officer involved had been detained.

She said: “The command is aware, and the Commissioner of Police is on top of the situation. Normalcy has now been restored, and adequate security is present on the ground to prevent any breach of peace.

“One officer, the person that shot, has been arrested. And the command consoles with the family members that justice must be served.

“The corpse has been deposited at the morgue, while the police officer has been detained, and an investigation is ongoing.”