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| A cross-section of Nigerian policemen |
An 83-year-old man, Maxwell Acho Chukwu, believed to be the oldest in a Rivers state community, has been confirmed dead following sporadic gunshots by policemen who stormed the community on Saturday.
The Punch reports that the policemen stormed the venue of a community meeting in Mgbuoshimiri Community in Obia/Akpor Local Government Area of the state and started shooting sporadically.
The old man was reported to have slumped and died following these gunshots by the policemen.
Recounting how the incident happened, Ohazurume Chukwu, the president-general of Mgbuoshimiri Community Council, informed that the police officers continued to shoot into the air even when they (police) had been duly informed that the people present at the meeting were not cultists.
He said: “This morning, we were in a meeting, some people came with some policemen to invade the venue of our meeting.
“When we tried to find out what the reasons are, the policemen told us that they were told them that it was cult members that were meeting.
“We told them that it was a community meeting; and they insisted because they have been induced. Thus, they insisted that they had to arrest some persons and we resisted.
“In the cause of doing that, the policemen started shooting. They started shooting to the point that the oldest man in the community, Mr. Acho Maxwell Chukwu, fell down and died as a result of their shooting.”
The community therefore calls for the arrest and subsequent prosecution of those involved in the shooting for which some aggrieved youths in the area took to the streets in violent protest.
The police public relations officer in the state, Ahmad Mohammad, in his reaction, disclosed that the matter was already being investigated by the police, adding: “This is a mere allegation. I can’t say much for now because the matter is under investigation.”
Officers of the Nigeria Police Force have been guilty of shooting at innocent citizens in the past as a 51-year-old widow was reportedly killed by policemen in Akure as another video also surfaced on the internet, where a policeman reportedly assaulted a young lady in Lekki area of Lagos state.
The Punch reports that the policemen stormed the venue of a community meeting in Mgbuoshimiri Community in Obia/Akpor Local Government Area of the state and started shooting sporadically.
The old man was reported to have slumped and died following these gunshots by the policemen.
Recounting how the incident happened, Ohazurume Chukwu, the president-general of Mgbuoshimiri Community Council, informed that the police officers continued to shoot into the air even when they (police) had been duly informed that the people present at the meeting were not cultists.
He said: “This morning, we were in a meeting, some people came with some policemen to invade the venue of our meeting.
“When we tried to find out what the reasons are, the policemen told us that they were told them that it was cult members that were meeting.
“We told them that it was a community meeting; and they insisted because they have been induced. Thus, they insisted that they had to arrest some persons and we resisted.
“In the cause of doing that, the policemen started shooting. They started shooting to the point that the oldest man in the community, Mr. Acho Maxwell Chukwu, fell down and died as a result of their shooting.”
The community therefore calls for the arrest and subsequent prosecution of those involved in the shooting for which some aggrieved youths in the area took to the streets in violent protest.
The police public relations officer in the state, Ahmad Mohammad, in his reaction, disclosed that the matter was already being investigated by the police, adding: “This is a mere allegation. I can’t say much for now because the matter is under investigation.”
Officers of the Nigeria Police Force have been guilty of shooting at innocent citizens in the past as a 51-year-old widow was reportedly killed by policemen in Akure as another video also surfaced on the internet, where a policeman reportedly assaulted a young lady in Lekki area of Lagos state.
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