- A viral video had claimed police officers in the State engaged in a gun battle among themselves leading to the death of one civilian.
The Abia State Police Command has reacted to claims that its officers opened fire on one another.
A viral video had claimed police officers in the State engaged in a gun battle among themselves leading to the death of one civilian.
The shooting incident was said to have happened around the Alaoji Flyover area in Aba.
Reacting to the video, the police in the southeast State described it as misinformation, saying their officers were not involved in exchange of fire.
The police debunked the claim in a statement made by ASP Maureen Chinaka, the spokesperson of the Abia State Police Command, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police.
She said: “On the 14th of August, 2024, a team of Police officers from the Quick Intervention Unit of the Abia State Police Command was returning to Umuahia from an official assignment. Upon approaching Alaoji Flyover area in Aba, the team began hearing sporadic gunfire. They quickly disembarked from their vehicle and took cover.
“After the situation had subsided, the officers reached the scene and met on ground members of the Abia State Harmonised Task Force, Operation Crush, and the military. There was no exchange of fire between the police officers and any other team.
” It was later discovered that a civilian had tragically lost his life in the incident. We have no evidence indicating that the shooting incident involved any of the command’s patrol teams or personnel. However, what we can confirm is that shooting occurred in the area, which resulted in the death of a civilian. The identities of those responsible for the shooting and their motives are yet to be established.”
The statement urged the public to disregard the misinformation about the incident.
Before the clarification by the Abia State Police Command, there were unconfirmed reports on social media that some police officers at Alaoji on Thursday exchanged fire with another set of police officers whom they allegedly mistook for members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.