A vigilante operative identified as Solomon Alozie on Monday allegedly shot and killed a 23-year old man at Fegge, Onitsha.
The vigilante operative was said to have accidentally fired his pump action gun and shot one Chibuike Ewuru who resides at No 5 Joseph Street Fegge Onitsha but is a native of Umudugba village, Isu local government area of Imo State.
TNC gathered that the operative had a minor altercation with the deceased which resulted in the shooting.
Speaking with our correspondent, an eye witness who would not want the name mentioned, said there seemed to be lingering bad blood between the two.
“What happened is not something very serious from what I gathered. Even if it was, a security man ought to have known better than to shoot an unarmed citizen. I sincerely think the Police should investigate the matter and ensure that justice is done,” the source said.
He regretted that killings by security operatives were on the increase across the state and called on the government to wade in and put a stop to the ugly happening.
“In this our Onitsha, there is no day that passes without such ugly stories and the persons involved are human beings just like me and you. The government must rise to protect the citizens. We cannot continue to live in fear and uncertainty in the hands of security operatives. This is rather unfortunate,” he noted.
Meanwhile, the State Police Command has said it has arrested the vigilante operative and investigations are on to unravel the real issues behind the shooting.
Police Spokesperson in Anambra, Haruna Mohammed in a statement, however, said the shooting was accidental.
“Police operatives attached to Fegge Division had rushed the victim to a hospital where he was confirmed dead by a medical doctor and the corpse deposited at Toronto morgue for autopsy.
“The suspect has been arrested and the rifle recovered with one expanded cartridge as exhibits. The investigation is ongoing,” Haruna revealed.
