Tina Amanda
Rivers State Police Command have confirmed the arrest and detention of the police officer who shot a passenger of a commercial bus around Rumuji axis of East-West road within Emohua Local Government Area of the state.
The Spokesman of the command, NNAMDI OMONI told our reporter that the command will invoke section two three seven of police act on the use of firearms to discipline the officer.
According to DSP OMONI the police officer confessed of shooting the victim in panic when the driver and the passengers were approaching him.
“on the 11th of this month around Rumuji axis, policemen on stop and search, stopped a bus said to be Agofure motor that loaded from Warri, the next bus following it behind happened to be same Agofure bus. The victim who was on the second bus came out with the driver to find out why the driver stopped the first bus.
“As the victim approached towards the policeman, his body movement created fear in the mind of the officer, from what he told me that as soon as he came close the officer started asking him who he is and he told him he is NAF Cadet Officer and the policeman asked him to present his I.D, before you know it the gun went off and shot the man on the leg.
“The victim has been discharged from the hospital and as we speak, the police officer is now in state criminal investigation department (CID) undergoing trial and at the end, we will know if the firearm was properly and justifiably used by the officer in regards to the position of police act 237”
Also reacting to the killing of a youth in Choba community in Obio-Akpor local government area, DSP OMONI said a report from the Divisional Headquarter revealed that only a woman was shot and denied knowledge of the killing of any youth.
He, however, said investigations are ongoing to apprehend the culprits of the act and to cut down the incessant killing in Choba community.