Panic As Nigerian Police Allegedly Shoot Young Man For Refusing To Bribe Officers At Checkpoint

Officers of the Enugu State Command of the Nigeria Police Force have reportedly killed a young man.

The officers reportedly shot the young man at a checkpoint for refusing to give them money.

The incident was said to have occurred at about 2 pm on Thursday, July 21, 2022.

The video of the incident seen by SaharaReporters on Sunday shows some policemen carrying the man into a waiting vehicle.

Reacting to the incident on Sunday, the Enugu State Police Command confirmed the shooting but said that the man was not killed. He said the young man refused to stop after being asked to stop by the police, alleging that he also knocked down a police officer. 

A statement by the Enugu Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Daniel Ndukwe said, “It has been drawn to a viral video alleging that 'the Police shot a young man and his GF (which is supposed to mean GirlFriend) dead, at Monkey Roundabout, close to EFCC Office”, Enugu; and hereby wishes to set the record straight as follows:

“That on 21/07/2022 at about 2 pm, a team of Police Operatives serving in No. 3 PMF Enugu, while on routine stop and search duty at EFCC Roundabout, Independence Layout, flagged down the driver of a Lexus Saloon Car.

“The driver, rather than stop, recklessly zoomed off, knocking down one of the Operatives and pulled him along to a distance of about four (4) poles, before he was forced to stop by the other members of the team, who immediately went after him.

“And in the bid to restrain the driver from further escape, one of the Operatives fired a knee-level shot, which got him in the thigh.

“The Policeman, Inspector Aneka Ndayi, who sustained severe bodily injuries; and the said driver, one Ogwuike Christian, were both moved to the hospital and are responding to treatment and in stable conditions.”

He said the state police commissioner, CP Abubakar Lawal, has ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State CID, to thoroughly investigate the incident and come up with actionable findings.

Ndukwe said the commissioner has also urged residents of the state, particularly motorists to always cooperate with police officers legitimately performing road duties, to avoid such an occurrence in the future.