Policeman ‘kills’ female corper hours to passing out
A 23-year-old female corps member serving in Abuja has allegedly been shot dead by a policeman during a stop and search operation. The deceased, Linda Angela Igwetu was reportedly shot around 3am on Wednesday, a day before her passing out of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) programme on Thursday. Confirming the incident, FCT Police […]
A 23-year-old female corps member serving in Abuja has allegedly been shot dead by a policeman during a stop and search operation.
The deceased, Linda Angela Igwetu was reportedly shot around 3am on Wednesday, a day before her passing out of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) programme on Thursday.
Confirming the incident, FCT Police spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manzah said the matter was being investigated. “We are investigating the case. It is at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), so, investigation is ongoing on the case,” he said.
Also, the FCT NYSC Coordinator, Bello Balami confirmed the identity of the deceased corps member and expressed sadness of the death. He said the corps will ensure that justice prevail in the matter.
While expressing his condolences to the family of the deceased he urged corps members to be cautious of their security and avoid leaving their apartments at nights.
Narrating how the deceased met her untimely death, Segun Awosanya, an activist and convener of the #EndSARS campaign, in a series of tweet said the deceased closed at work late at about 11pm on Wednesday and joined a few friends to a hang out to celebrate their completion of service scheduled for the next day (Thursday).
It was gathered that the deceased was in the company other two colleagues, Tobi Bamidele and Arafat Mohammed at Ceddi Plaza in Central Area after work.
While leaving the Plaza in the early hours of Wednesday, it was gathered that Angela was seated at the back of the car with her colleagues sitting in the front.
“Angela, while at the back raised her head through the openroof of the car to look outside. The police officers, Benjamin Peters and Nichola Obioha, positioned at Central Areas around Ceddi Plaza allegedly said they heard a call for help and they shot at the victim and killed Angela Nkechi Igwetu.
“The police officer who shot at her has been identified as Benjamin Peters. The case was initially at Federal Secretariat but was moved to FCT CID, Garki for further investigations,” a petition written by a law firm representing the deceased, said.
The petition, signed by Barrister Nelson Olaonipekun for Gavel law firm, was stamped received by both the Federal Ministry of Justice and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
A police source who prefer anonymity told one of our reporters that from preliminary investigation conducted so far, the shooting was intended to “save” the deceased, who the policemen on stop and search operation thought was being kidnapped.
“The men were on a stop and search point. It was not a deliberate thing. It was an effort to salvage the girl because there was a distress call. While the deceased’s vehicle was approaching, she was shouting for help.
“The patrol team was flagging down the car but it refused to stop. So the whole shooting was more of an operational error in an attempt to save her life because they did not know the motive of those in the car.
“The policemen thought it was a kidnap situation. So the best thing the policeman could do was to shoot and he shot with the intent of targeting the tire of the car but it went wrong”, the source said. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Senate yesterday mandated three of its committees to investigate the cause of the death of the slain corps member and report back to the Senate in two weeks.