- The police operative, accompanied by another officer, was on special duty in Rivers State at the time
- According to the police spokesperson, shots were fired into the air in response to an alarm raised by residents about armed robbers in the area
A tragic incident occurred in Elekahia, Port Harcourt, where a father of three, Olafuro Peterside, was allegedly shot and killed by an operative attached to the Police Mobile Force, 43 Squadron in Gombe State. It happened while Peterside was out on an outing with his family.
According to reports, the policeman, accompanied by another officer from PMF 43-Squadron, Gombe, was on special duty in Rivers State at the time. The spokesperson for the State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident to journalists on Saturday morning.
Iringe-Koko stated that, based on the information she had, the operatives fired shots into the air after receiving an alarm from residents about armed robbers in the area.
However, she also mentioned that both officers involved in the incident have been arrested, and the matter has been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department of the command for a thorough investigation.
“Yes, the command is aware of the incident. From the information at my disposal, the man was with his family.
“There was an incident of robbery in the area, so the policemen shot into the air in response to the alarm raised.
“So I think a stray bullet hit the man. The officers are from the PMF 43-Squadron, Gombe, but attached to special duty in Rivers State,” Iringe-Koko explained.
While decrying the incident, the police image maker said the defaulting cop and his colleague were being interrogated, even as she appealed for calm.