Ololade Adeyanju/
A team of policemen have reportedly shot dead a 25-year-old man and injured several others at Iyana Coker area of Ifo, Ogun State, during an annual traditional festival today.
The policemen from the Zonal Intervention Squad, Zone ‘2’ Command Headquarters in Lagos had reportedly gone to the area to arrest an armed robbery suspect, identified as Abu Regar.
Eyewitnesses told NewsmakersNG that after the policemen had arrested Regar, they began shooting sporadically to disperse the crowd that had gathered around the scene, hitting several people including the victim in the process.
The dead victim was identified as Akeem Akinsanya.
NewsmakersNG learnt that the crowd prevented the policemen from leaving the scene after the incident.
Some youths in the area also reportedly barricaded the Ifo end of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway with bonfires to protest the victim’s death.
NewsmakersNG was told that two policemen have been detained at the headquarters of the Ogun State Police Command in connection with the incident, on the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama.
The acting Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu, recently expressed concerns and disclosed steps being taken to end the recurring incidence of unprofessional handling and misuse of firearms and other misconducts by policemen which have resulted in either injury or death of some unarmed innocent citizens.
During a visit to Lagos, Adamu announced that officers would begin to use “technologies and weapons systems” instead of firearms for law enforcement in order to reduce extrajudicial killings.
“This will include the use of electro-muscular disruption technology which is commonly known as Taser or stun guns by police for patrols,” he added.
He vowed to reinforce the extant Force Accountability Policy which holds any officer professionally and criminally liable for the consequences of their actions, particularly if such misuse of power resulted in the death, injury or indignity of citizens.