David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka
There was pandemonium in Onitsha, Anambra State, yesterday at the River Niger Head Bridge, after a policeman allegedly pulled the trigger on a trader over an argument resulting from payment of an alleged N5,000 bribe.
Though the allegation could not be immediately verified, sources said the man was pushing pharmaceutical products in a wheelbarrow to a motor park in an attempt to waybill them to a customer when the incident happened.
The shooting caused traders to block the road in protest, occasioning a huge traffic gridlock, while the policeman who carried out the act was said to have quickly disappeared.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Nnanna Oji Ama, mobilised to the scene, where he addressed aggrieved traders.
He said the incident arose from a confrontation during an attempted arrest, stating that the immediate priority of the Command was to ensure that the victim recovers fully.
The spokesperson of the state Police Command, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the incident occurred when a suspect allegedly resisted arrest, resulting in gunshot injuries.
Ikenga said: “The state Commissioner of Police subsequently visited the victims at the hospital, where he assured them of the Command’s support and pledged to personally ensure that their medical expenses are covered.
“CP Nnanna further ordered a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, particularly the events leading to the discharge of the firearm..“
“He stressed that the investigation would establish the facts and ensure that appropriate action is taken based on its findings.”
He appealed for calm and urged members of the public to remain peaceful and allow the investigation to run its course, reiterating the Command’s commitment to professionalism, accountability, respect for human life, and the rule of law.
As at the time of filing this report, traffic and human movement around the Head Bridge area has been resolved, hence free flow of vehicular and human movement in the area.