There was palpable tension in Umuahia, the capital of Abia, on Tuesday, as a trigger-happy policeman attached to the Special Protection Unit (SPU) of Abia Police Command, allegedly shot and killed a 23- year old Chukwubikem Onuoha.
The incident, according to an eyewitness, took place on Monday night at Okwulaga Afara-Ukwu Ibeku in Umuahia North Local Government Area.
Consequently, hundreds of leave-yielding women from Afara-Ukwu took to the streets of Umuahia on Tuesday to protest the killing.
The protest disrupted traffic for a while as the women took their protest to Abia Government House and the Central Police Station, Umuahia, demanding that justice be done.
Capt. Agwu Awa, the Security Adviser to the Governor of Abia, while addressing the women appealed to the women to calm their nerves, promising that justice would prevail.
“The police are looking for him and he must be brought to justice.
Abia doesn’t support evil. What you are doing is normal but I plead with you to go home because the government and the Commissioner of Police have already swung into action,” he said.
The women’s protest came after the youths from the deceased community had gone on a rampage in the streets, chanting war songs and destroying billboards and overturned the flower pots kept in boularard.
It was gathered that the police shot into the air and threw tear-gas to disperse the mob.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that the policeman, identified simply as Collins, who is a driver, went into hiding after killing his victim.
According to eyewitnesses, the policeman who was in the same neighbourhood with the deceased shot him twice until he died.
Mrs Ngozi Ogbonna,from the deceased community, who led the women’s protest spoke to NAN, while giving an eyewitness account.
Our son, Chibuikem Onuoha with his elder brother Kenneth Onuoha, when a policeman with a Hilux flashed light at them.
Chibuikem said “Oga please dim your light.” The policeman was angry, he came down, brought out his pistol and shot him at his collar bone.
“His elder rushed to the policeman and the policeman wanted to shoot him too.
“So Kenneth rushed back to inform the youths in the community about the incident.
“Before he came back, the policeman had shot Chibuikem the second time, which eventually led to his death.
“The policeman ran away before the youths could storm the scene.”
Angered by the incident, the mob reportedly set the Hilux car ablaze.
The victim was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Umuahia, where he was confirmed dead.
When contacted, Mr Godfrey Ogbonna, the Police Public Relations Officer in Abia, said the Commissioner of Police had sent a team of homicide detectives to the scene of the incident.
He said that another batch of police was also sent to the deceased family as well as the traditional ruler of Okwulaga Community to commiserate with them.
He condemned the killing and described it as unprofessional, adding that the assailant would be brought to book.(NAN)