Chief of Army Staff.
Kelvin Peter and Ovedhe Hezekiah – Warri
An unidentified soldier has shot dead a man, simply identified as Joseph Pessu, along the Ugbuwangue axis of the NPA Expressway in Warri South local government area of Delta state .
The incident occurred at about 9:40am on Thursday, while the victim, a father of two, was riding his power bike.
The victim, pictured wearing a white shirt and red trousers, drenched in blood, was reportedly taken to the Police Area Command, Warri as sympathizers flocked the scene.
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Multiple sources at the scene of the incident said that, “he was chased to the scene of the tragic incident by the soldier who was shooting at his bike’s tyres.”
“A army officer just shot a man in Ugbuwangue. He was riding a power bike, they tried to stop him, but he refused. One of the soldiers shot him. He died instantly.”
The Delta state government had earlier declared a lockdown across the state for 14 days, which started on Wednesday.
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However, only those on essential duties are exempted from the directive, as stated by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who warned that security operatives will be deployed across the state to enforce the directive.
Meanwhile, youths of the area were said to have taken to the streets and the expressway to protest the killing of Mr. Joseph Pessu.
The chairman of Warri South council area, Dr. Michael Tidi, alongside a political leader in the locality, Chief Vincent Okudolor, who visited the area, called for calm.
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When contacted for comments, the State Commissioner of Police, C.P Hafiz Inuwa, confirmed the incident.
C.P Hafiz said that, “the timely intervention of the Warri Area Commander, doused the brewing tension in the area.”
Efforts to get the sector 1 Commander, Operation Delta Safe (OPDS), Colonel Many Garba, to comment on the issue, were unsuccessful as at the time of filing this report.
