Abasifreke Effiong
The Abia state police command has explained that the attack on Ebem Ohafia police station by youths followed the killing of a youth by a drunk, trigger-happy police constable.
Some youths set ablaze Ebem Ohafia police station in Abia state on Saturday 18th April, also burning at least three patrol vehicles.
Indiscipline such as police officers getting drunk on duty is a serious downturn on the image of the Nigeria Police Force.
A video seen by The Dune shows a large number of youths burning down police vehicles and the Ebem Ohafia police station.
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A youth who filmed the incident was overheard saying that the youths were on a reprisal attack on the police over the killing one of them, arrest and detention of others.
WATCH VIDEO OF THE ATTACK
The Abia state police command said youths attacked the Ebem Ohafia police station after one Ifeanyi Arunsi, was shot dead by a drunk police constable.
The police command in a statement by the state Police Public Relations Officer, Supol Geoffrey Ogbonna, said the constable went out with his superior to drink and was not on duty when the incident happened.
“The Nigeria Police Abia state command has received with nostalgia the shooting incident in Ebem Ohafia by a policeman which consumed the life of an innocent young man identified as Ifeanyi Arunsi on Friday 17th April, 2020 night.”
“The policemen led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police who were neither on duty nor on COVID 19 preventive assignment, went out in a private car belonging to one of them to a drinking joint where they got drunk and while going back home, the driver hit a truck off-loading goods.”
“In an ensuing argument between the Policemen and the people off-loading goods, one of the policemen, a constable disappeared from the scene and resurfaced with a police rifle and started shooting sporadically under the influence of alcohol during which, bullet hit the victim on the buttocks.”
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The police command vehemently condemns the action of the officer, and has accordingly arrested him for trial and prosecution, according to the statement.
The command added that the Commissioner of Police, Abia state, CP E. Ene Okon, has commiserate with the families of the deceased and the people of Ohafia over the incident, assuring them that justice will be done.
