A police sergeant attached to Badia Police Station has been accused of shooting to death a 16-year-old boy, Emmanuel Chukwu, at Ijora Badia area of Lagos. The incident occurred last Saturday. Father of the deceased, Mr. Uzor Chukwu, was said to have travelled to Ebonyi State to bury his uncle, while his son was shot dead by police in Lagos.
It was learnt that Emmanuel, who was a student of Randle Secondary School, Apapa, was at their apartment about 8a.m. at No, 7 Fadaina Street.
He heard the noise of protesters calling on policemen at their station to release a woman accused of kidnapping a toddler.
The police rescued the suspected kidnapper at Giwa Street when she was about to be set ablaze by some angry youths and took her to their station at Badia.
But the youth went with the policemen to their station, demanding the suspect be released to them.
A resident, who gave his name as Moshood, said Chukwu was sleeping in their apartment and came out to see what was happening when a stray bullet hit him.
He said: “Immediately the suspected kidnapper was arrested and the baby was rescued by some youths in the community. They descended on the woman and tried to set her ablaze. But some elders phoned the police who came to rescue her and take her to their station. It was the shout of the protesters that woke the deceased.
“Emmanuel was standing on the balcony of their house, catching a glimpse of what was happening at the station, when a stray bullet fired by the police to disperse the protesters hit him in the chest
.”When contacted for confirmation, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Chike Oti, said police did not shoot anybody.
He said: “Policemen from Badia Station received a distress call that some hoodlums were about to lynch a woman for offence that was not yet established rescued and brought her to their station.
“The hoodlums mobilised themselves and went to attack the policemen and tried to burn down the station, it was part of the dangerous weapons they were using that hit the boy. “Immediately, the hoodlums noticed what happened to the boy, they took to their heels. The policemen went to take the boy to the hospital where he was later confirmed dead.” – News Rangers