A policeman attached to the Ijora Badia Police Division, Lagos State, has accidentally killed Emmanuel Chukwu a 16-year-old pupil at Randle Secondary School, Apapa, when a bullet from his gun hit the pupil.
The SS2 pupil was reportedly standing in front of his parent’s house on Fadaini Street, Ijora Badia, watching protesters when he was hit by the bullet.
PUNCH Metro sources revealed that the police station had been stormed on Sunday around 8am by young protesters in the area This was to get to a suspected female kidnapper in the station who police had detained
The police had resorted to shooting to repel the rampaging youths during which the Ebonyi State indigene was killed.
The woman had been caught by some residents for reportedly kidnapping a five-year-old girl in the community and they had decided to show her some jungle justice and lynch her. However, The suspect was rescued by the policemen and taken to the station.
The youths, angry about having their prey taken away from them gathered and demanded that the suspect should be released to them.
When police did not respond to their request they began to throw stones into the station.
Bola a resident, said that this was not the first abduction and that in the past perpetrators had escaped justice.
He said the youths resorted to jungle justice because they believed that the police would eventually release the suspect.
“A woman was caught with a five-year-old girl around 7am on Sunday and she was beaten up. In the process, policemen from the Ijora Badia Division came to rescue her. People took the law into their own hands because they did not have confidence in the police that justice would be done. There had been cases of abduction in this community and nothing came out of them.
“Some youths went to the station, demanding that the woman should be released to them. As they were throwing stones into the premises, the policemen started shooting. The noise of the protesters drew the attention of people living around the station. A boy (Emmanuel), who also came out to watch the protest, was shot by the policemen. He died on the spot and they carried his corpse away. They did not allow his mother to see his corpse.”
A community leader, who wished to remain anonymous, stated the Baale of a nearby community, Ebute, traveled to the station to plead that the mother be given access to the corpse. He was arrested and detained.
“The baale was later released on Monday. The police bullet killed the boy; but they will try to cover it up. Justice must prevail. As a stakeholder in the community, I will not watch while injustice thrives,” he added.
Ijeoma Chukwu The boy’s mother, said she was entrenched in domestic duties in their compound when she was told that Emmanuel had been shot.
She said her son was woken up by the noise of the crowd who paraded the suspected kidnapper around the community.
“He rushed out to the front of our house while I went to the backyard to do the dishes. After a few minutes, neighbours rushed in to tell me that my son had been killed by the police.
“I rushed out and saw the police taking his corpse to the station and ran after them. On getting to the station, I told them that I was his mother and pleaded that they should allow me to see his body, but they refused and threatened to shoot me if I didn’t leave the place.
“I cried, but they didn’t listen to me until they took the corpse to a mortuary. His father has travelled for a burial in our village,” she added.
SP Chike Oti the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, said the youths had stormed the station with cutlasses, guns and explosives, threatening to burn down the facility.
He claimed that the victim was killed by the bullet fired by one of the youths, adding that nine persons had been arrested.
“A woman was about to be lynched by a mob in that area. A police team rescued the woman to the station, but the mob was not happy about it. They came to the police station with petrol bombs, guns and machetes. They were throwing stones and the petrol bombs at the police station. The policemen repelled the attack.
“One young man, who was putting on a red shirt with an inscription ‘Ema Bullet’ on it, was shot by one of the mob. The police recovered a gun from him.”
Reacting to the police claim, the deceased’s mother said his son was an easy-going boy, adding that the allegation was an attempt by the police to justify the killing.