There was pandemonium in Lokoja, the Kogi State capital on Tuesday evening following the alleged killing of a livestock dealer by a policeman from the Anti-Robbery unit of the Kogi Police Command.
The deceased, Ibrahim Ali, (aka Mbaba), who was the manager of BB Umar Livestock, was shot dead by a policeman at Ganaja Village, an outskirt of Lokoja.
Daily Trust learnt that trouble started when the said policeman who was riding a motorcycle through the village knocked down a young girl who was hawking but failed to attend to her.
It was learnt the policeman’s action infuriated the youths who mobilised in their numbers and seized his motorcycle, demanding that the cop take the injured girl to the hospital for medical attention.
The policeman rather than showing concern for the girl, allegedly put a call to his colleagues who arrived the scene with arms.
In the ensuing arguments and confusion, the said policeman allegedly grabbed a rifle from inside the patrol vehicle his colleagues came with and fired killing a shot killing the deceased on the spot.
Following the killing, angry youth from the community went berserk and moved towards the Kogi Police Command Headquarters, Lpkoja, where they blocked the road thus causing heavy traffic gridlock.
Meanwhile, the Kogi State government has vowed that the killer of the livestock dealer would not go unpunished.
The Kogi State Security Adviser, Retired Navy Commander Jerry Omodara, who addressed protesting youth, decried the killing and assured that justice would be done.
When contacted, spokesman of the Kogi Police Command, William Aya, who confirmed the incident informed that the state commissioner of police has ordered the arrest of the policeman allegedly involved in the act.
He confirmed that the concerned policeman is currently in detention at the state command headquarters and would undergo orderly room trial after which the appropriate actions would be taken against him.
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