29th February, 2024
By Jethro Ibileke
There was pandemonium at Benin/Asaba Road, by Igueomo Junction Wednesday evening, when a stray bullet allegedly fired by a police gun hit and killed a Hausa resident in the area.
The yet-to-be-identified victim was said to have been hit by a stray bullet in front of the house of a POS operator where he had gone to wire ₦4000 to his wife in his home village.
A source in the area who preferred not to be named disclosed that police operatives were in the area to arrest some hoodlums.
According to him, “Some Benin boys had an issue with the police. Some policemen stormed the area and in the process of chasing the boys, they fired their guns at the fleeing boys, the bullet hit the victim and he died on spot.
“The victim was said to have just transferred the sum of ₦4000 to the wife. When he heard of the commotion outside, it was said that he decided to run for cover, only to be hit by the stray bullet.
“Being that the entire area is dominantly populated by Hausa indigenes, they came out in large numbers, blocked the road in protest. They even vandalized some police vehicles that passed the area this (Friday) morning.”
The irate youths who were armed with sticks and machetes, erected barricades and set bonfires on the highway and ensured that no one have access to the either side of the road.
This impromptu blockade left commuters stranded, with passengers forced to disembark from buses arriving from both the Asaba and Benin city directions.
When contacted, the Edo Police Command Spokesman, SP Chdi Nwabuzor, said he was not aware of the incident. He asked for more time to find out of what transpired.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report, normalcy has returned to the area.