Protest as policeman kills taxi driver in Rivers
There was commotion in Rumukoro, in the Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State on Sunday after a policeman allegedly killed a taxi driver, identified only as Bright.
A police team which arrived shortly after the incident, cordoned off the scene.
The cops shot continuously into the air to disperse a mob protesting against the killing.
It was gathered that the policeman who fired the shot that killed the taxi driver was escorting a vehicle conveying frozen chicken and fish to an unknown destination.
A source said the driver was by the roadside when the mobile policeman suddenly jumped out of the truck, went to the driver and shot him in the neck at close range.
It was also learnt that the truck driver sped off immediately he realised what the policeman had done.
“The gunshot scared people and everybody ran away. The driver was killed for no just cause. He was not even the person blocking the road,” the source said.
The incident led to a protest by some Igbo youths, who felt jungle justice had been meted out to their tribesman.
The protesting youths called on the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris; and the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ahmed Zaki, to fish out the policeman to face justice.
One of them, who gave his name only as Obinna, described the deceased as a hard working man who relied on his taxi job to fend for his family.
“If the policeman was well trained, why would he shoot a man that was not armed? You will see that nothing will come out of what happened today (Sunday),” another witness, who gave his name only as Victor, said.
It was, however, not long before a group of armed policemen stormed the scene and took away the body of the slain taxi driver.
The policemen shot continuously into the air, as commuters and shop owners in the area scampered to safety.
A human rights activist, Jackson Omenazu, demanded that the culprit be made to face the full wrath of the law.
“The police authorities should come up with a solution to this problem of extra-judicial killings. What the policeman has done is to deny the taxi driver the right to life. What happened today at Rumuokoro is not good for the image of the country,” he added.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident.
He said, “The policeman is not serving in this state. Efforts are on to identify and fish him out. We want members of the public to be calm; very soon, we will identify and deal with him according to the law.”
