A stray bullet fired by an operative of the Ekiti state police command has hit and killed two people in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
Tribune Online gathered that the incident which happened around the popular Omisanjana area of the state capital has thrown the entire area into mourning.
A source noted that the police operatives were drafted to the area at about 8 pm after an accident involving a vehicle and motorcycle popularly known as Okada
It was learned that the driver of the vehicle knocked down the motorcycle with the passengers, sustaining life-threatening injuries, and was about to be lynched when the operatives arrived at the scene.
The source said, “Trouble started when some youths accosted a hit-and-run driver who knocked a commercial motorcyclist and a passenger, breaking the legs and arms of the victims in the process.
“The yet-to-be-identified driver put a call to the men of the Rapid Response Squad, and when they got there, one of them opened fire and hit two people in the process. They were confirmed dead at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital.”
Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Adeniran Akinwale, sympathised with the families of the deceased, revealing that the trigger-happy cop has been identified and would face appropriate disciplinary measures for justice to prevail.
In a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Sunday Abutu said, “On getting to the scene, the operatives met resistance as some irate youths disallowed them from performing their lawful duty and insisted on carrying out jungle justice. This necessitated a call for re-enforcement to assist the officers on the ground.
“However, in the process, one of the officers accidentally fired a shot that fatally injured two people.
“The officer responsible for the shooting has been disarmed, arrested, and detained and shall be made to face disciplinary action immediately.”
