This killing came barely one week after a police inspector shot and killed a petrol attendant after his bullet missed a motorist who failed to comply with the state government’s stay at home order. A witness yesterday said the driver, whose identity could not be immediately ascertained, was carrying food items to Umuahia but on getting to Umuikaa Junction near the old toll gate, he was stopped by the NSCDC official.
The NSCDC officer was alleged to have demanded bribe which the driver refused. The officer then asked for the keys of the vehicle as a prelude to impounding it. The driver was said to have resisted the demand, maintaining that since he was carrying foodstuff, he was exempted from the stay-at-home order and as such it would be illegal for the official to impound his vehicle.
An argument ensued. While the driver insisted he had not committed any offence that would warrant his vehicle to be impounded, the triggerhappy NSCDC official reached for his gun and threatened to shoot the driver, which he eventually did. The driver died on the spot. After killing the driver, the NSCDC official, in an attempt to escape mob action, ran into the police station near Umuikaa Junction where he was promptly arrested.
The Commissioner of Police, Okon, said he had directed the NSCDC official to be transferred to the State Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Department (SCIID), Umuahia for proper investigation. Okon, who warned security personnel to be mindful of the way they use guns entrusted in their care, said if after investigation the man was find culpable, police would arraign him for murder. Meanwhile, efforts to reach the NSCDC Commandant in Abia State, were abortive as he neither picked his calls nor responded to the text message sent to his mobile line.
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