A trigger-happy police corporal attached to the Bayelsa State government Friday, shot dead a 13 years old Senior Secondary School (SSS) student, Mr. Tomizibe Johnson, over an alleged mere argument along the Kpansia Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
A trigger-happy police corporal attached to the Bayelsa State government Friday, shot dead a 13 years old Senior Secondary School (SSS) student, Mr. Tomizibe Johnson, over an alleged mere argument along the Kpansia Community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.
The Corporal David Napoleon is attached to Department of Operations at the State Police Command, has been disarmed and detained pending further investigation and trial.
The killing of the boy has, however, thrown the Kpansia community into a fit of anger with a protest march by the indigenes of the community against alleged rising cases of illegal arrest and killings of youths in the community.
The quick intervention of the Chairman of the Yenagoa Caretaker Committee, Oforji Oboku, however, stopped the angry indigenes of Kpansia community from abducting a traffic warden over the killing of the deceased.
While the authorities of the State Police Command, through the office of the spokesperson, Astimin Butswat, claimed that the boy shot was 18 years old and the incident occurred while the accused police officer was being chased by irate youths of the community and suspected cultists.
The umbrella body of the Ijaw Youths, the Ijaw Youths Council (IYC), led by the Chairman of the Central Zone, Comrade Tare Porri, however, faulted the claims of the police after consulting with the investigating officer and family of the deceased boy.
According to Tare Porri, "after consulting with the police and family of the deceased boy, it is clear that the deceased is 13 years old. He and the killer policeman were neighbors."
"Eyewitnesses said the policeman shot twice from the kitchen to scare away some suspected cultists trying to gain entry. When he came out, he saw that the boys were still around. There was an argument and when one of the boys called others on phone, the policeman shot at knee level and the bullet hit the deceased in the thigh."
"Eyewitnesses and the investigating officer confirmed to us that the boy was not a cultist. He was just witnessing the argument. I call on the State Commissioner of Police to investigate the incident and come out with a clear report to avoid a reprisal attack against security agents. Reprisal can happen when such cases are not properly investigated.. Kpansia is a safe community and must be made to remain so," he added.
Reacting to the development, the spokesman of the Bayelsa Police Command, Astimin Butswat, confirmed the incident and said, "the incident occurred at about 10 pm on Thursday after six armed cultists invaded the home of Corporal David Napoleon at Kpansia Area of the state capital."
"The suspected and armed cultists tore the window net and gained entrance into the house. The officer, who was home with his family, ran after the hoodlums and arrested Stephen Ayama, male, 16 years, and a member of the Green lander cult group. He was handed to the State Security outfit known as Door Akpo."
"When he was coming back to his house with a plan to move his family out to a safer place, some suspected cultists and indigenes of the community went after him to attack him. He ran but was chased by the irate youths. He turned and shot at them below the knee level. The bullet hit Tombozide Joseph, 13 years, on the thigh. He was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre."
