From Nwogha Ndubuisi, Abakaliki
Tragic incident has occurred in Ugwuachara, a suburb of Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, where a labourer was reportedly shot dead by men of Crack Squad of the state police command, leaving three others injured.
The chaos unfolded after a confrontation between a military personnel and a team of mobile crack police operatives attached to Ebonyi State Police Command.
According to a source who pleaded anonymity, the military personnel was riding on a motorcycle when he was stopped by a team of policemen along the road.
The officers demanded that the military officer enter their Sienna vehicle, but he refused.
In an attempt to force him into the van, a violent struggle ensued where one of the officers allegedly fired a warning shot in an attempt to intimidate the soldier.
Tragically, the gunshot struck four civilians who were nearby observing the escalating situation, leading to the death of one of the bystanders.
Reacting, the Police Commissioner, Anthonia Uche-Anya said the soldier resisted stop-and-search, which resulted in the attempt to take a rifle from the policemen, leading to accidental discharge that killed a bystander.
“What happened was that a man claimed to be a soldier and they wanted to search him and there was a scuffle between them, as he tried to take one of their rifles and the bullet went off and hit a bystander.
“There were those who sustained injuries but are responding to treatment,” the CP said.
When asked if the acclaimed soldier had been confirmed to either be fake or authentic, she said “it has been confirmed that he is a soldier and both him and the policeman are in our custody.
“He is a soldier serving in Operation Pakayama in Katsina and on pass.”
