COVID-19 LOCKDOWN ENFORCEMENT CLAIMS TWO LIVES IN NKPOR
It was an atmosphere of chaos and fear at the New Tyre axis of the Enugu-Onitsha expressway Nkpor, Anambra State as the lifeless body of a young man was laid off on the road. Hundreds of people gathered in clusters discussing his death and that of another man.
Following the alleged murder of two young boys Wednesday (April 15, 2020) at the Ezego Street Nkpor, angry residents of the area barricaded the Onitsha Enugu Expressway with burning tyres for some hours, making vehiclar movement impossible even for those on essential duty.
Radio Nigeria met the lifeless body of one of the murdered boys identified as Ebuka Nwoye, probably in his twenties, lying on the road. According to eyewitnesses, the boy who resided at Uga street Nkpor, was shot at Ezego street by men of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on his way home after playing football with his friends.
One of the eyewitnesses, Mr. Obinna Chukwuemeka, narrated what he knew about the incident. According to Mr. Chukwuemeka, “the guy did nothing, they were just in the street playing football, then the SARS people came and passed them. They stopped and said wait and those guys said no they did nothing, they now shoot the guy.”
Mr. Chuwuemeka also told Radio Nigeria that the second man was also shot by the trigger happy policemen, alongside the one laying on the road, died on getting to an undisclosed hospital. When the people observed the presence of Radio Nigeria, they brought a young man who was allegedly walking behind the two shot men.
The man, who refused to be recorded, also said he saw the police handcuff people sitting in front of their houses and threw them into their vehicle.
Making his contribution, one of the labourers at the ‘Anamacholu site’ opposite the new tyre market, Mr. Vincent Ekedum, said “these people passed as they got up, the Policemen just stopped there and began to fire them, that was how they killed the boy.”
Mr. Ekedum added that it was anger that made people to barricade the road. As Radio Nigeria was about leaving the scene of the incident, a group of people who refused to be recorded claimed that they knew the policeman, who shot the boys and were willing to reveal his identity if called to do so.
They further claimed that the murder had nothing to do with the COVID-19 lockdown order of the Anambra State Government but that the policeman purposely shot the boy to settle scores with his mother who was at loggerheads with his woman friend.
Meanwhile, the Police Command in Anambra State says it has deployed reinforce team to restore normalcy at Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state. The team comprises Special Anti Robbery Squad, (SARS), Special Anti Cult Unit and other sister agencies.
Two persons were said to have been allegedly shot dead by a police officer at New Tyre axis of the Enugu Onitsha Expressway. Reacting to the incident , the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Haruna Muhammed, in a statement alleged that Police Patrol Team suddenly came under unprovoked attack by a group of miscreants with substance suspected to be acid.
According to the statement, one operative attached to the team, sustained serious injuries all over his body following the attack while the hoodlums rushed his AK 47 riffle with thirty rounds of live ammunition in a bid to snatch it. The statement claimed that the team swiftly responded and repelled the hoodlums with gunshots and retrieved the the riffle from them.
The statement also alleged that one of the attackers who was fatally wounded was prevented by the miscreants from being taken to the hospital but the injured policeman was rushed to the hospital for medical attention .
Mr. Muhammed noted that following the incident, youths in their hundreds holding offensive weapons went on rampage at Nkpor and New Parts area and destroyed police patrol vehicle attached to Awada Division and other government property. The statement added that investigation was ongoing over the incident.
CHIKA ESONWUNE AND UCHE NDEKE