It was another black Sunday in Imo state as personnel of the Nigerian security team in the state have allegedly shot dead a yet-to-be-identified young man.
WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the incident happened on 10th June, 2023 at Umuaka town in Orlu LGA of the state.
According to an eyewitness, the security personnel were presumably on a special assignment at Obinwanne community, Umuaka town, in Orlu when they carried out the alleged incident.
According to an eye witness who preferred anonymity “these force men first stormed a hotel so roughly for no reason we have been able to verify. The manner at which they entered made people around begin to run helter-skelter in fear. And alongside others, this young innocent boy ran out in fear too, from where he was, and headed towards a way out of the hotel like others. That was when he unfortunately met the rage of a ‘trigger happy’ member of the security team who immediately shot and got him killed on the spot.
“He was immediately rushed to a hospital where he was confirmed dead by the doctor. He has been deposited in a mortuary.”
However, WITHIN NIGERIA gathered that the ugly incident triggered anger and protest among the youths of Obinwanne community who mounted a road block along the Orlu Owerri Road, by the White House axis, demanding that something be done immediately, as they cannot keep dying that way.
Our reporter equally gathered that few minutes later, the news got to the Traditional Prime Minister of Obinwanne community, Chief Celestine Agu who came and appealed to the youths to vacate the major road. The youths obliged to the plea of Chief Agu, but still persisted on their demand for a stop to such cruelty from members of the security agents and justice for the victim.
According to our source who is also resident of the community, this is not the first time of such incident has happened in the Orlu area of the state.
“In fact, I must state that there is nothing wrong with the police arresting any suspected individual for an interrogation. But what we witness regularly in this our community and region, is a case where police keep arresting boys and forcing the boys to make illegal money transfers of the range of N150, 000 to N300, 000, instead of interrogating them accordingly and letting them go free, if found innocent or taking them through the normal legal process, if found guilty.
“Most times, they kill any of these boys who is not able to send them the money. This has to stop”, he concluded.
As at the time of filing in this report, it is still unclear the command from where the combined security team who carried out the alleged murderous operation came from, nor the identity of the security operatives but the people of Obinwanne have continued to demand a stop to the inhumanity and asks justice for the murdered innocent young boy.
When contacted on phone, the Police Public Relations Ofiicer, Imo state police command, Henry Okoye couldn’t pick his call for confirmation of the incident.