There was an uproar at the River Niger Head Bridge, Onitsha, Anambra State, on Wednesday afternoon after police operatives shot two traders at the bridge head market.
The incident, PREMIUM TIMES gathered, forced traders to stage a protest along the road, disrupting both human and vehicular traffic in the area.
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Video clips seen by this newspaper showed some of the angry traders burning tyres and lamenting the shooting of their colleagues.
Witnesses told PREMIUM TIMES on Wednesday night that the incident happened when some police operatives approached the traders to arrest them, but they resisted.
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One of them, an apprentice at the Ogbo Ogwu Bridge Market, was said to have been approached by the officers while he was carrying cartons of pharmaceutical products to a waiting vehicle conveying the goods to a customer
“They interrogated them and subsequently tried to arrest them, but they refused to be arrested. So, the police men shot them on their legs,” one witness, who asked not to be named, narrated to this newspaper.
The witness said that the apprentice became unconscious shortly after the incident, which prompted some persons to rush them to a nearby hospital for treatment.
“After that, many people came out to protest because some people thought the unconscious man had died,” he added.
Police commissioner visits hospital
In a statement later on Wednesday, the police spokesman in Anambra State, Tochukwu Ikenga, said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Nnanna Ama, visited the scene and addressed aggrieved traders.
Mr Ikenga, a superintendent of police, said the incident followed a confrontation during an attempted arrest of the traders, resulting in gunshot injuries.
“The commissioner of police subsequently visited the victims at the hospital, where he assured them of the Command’s support and pledged to personally ensure that their medical expenses are covered,” he said.
“The commissioner further ordered a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, particularly the events leading to the discharge of the firearm.”
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The spokesperson said the police chief also stressed that the investigation would establish the facts and ensure that appropriate action was taken based on its findings.
He said the commissioner has appealed for calm, urging the public to remain peaceful and allow the investigation to proceed.
Mr Ikenga reiterated the police command’s commitment to professionalism, accountability, respect for human life, and the rule of law.
“Meanwhile, traffic and human movement around the Head Bridge area have been de-escalated, with free flow of vehicular and human movement now restored,” he stated.
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