The Anambra State Commissioner for Info, Paul Nwosu, has mentioned the deadly taking pictures that occurred on Friday on the Ogbo-Ogu pharmaceutical market, Niger Bridgehead, Onitsha, was attributable to merchants who breached the official order of the state. Staff.
Anti-touting Squad officers reportedly invaded the market and reportedly shot lifeless one individual in an try to 'arrest' an offender who had allegedly urinated in a restricted space.
The officers would shoot indiscriminately into the market whereas searching for the perpetrator. The event brought about pandemonium within the space and sparked many controversies with movies of the incident circulating on social media.
However the commissioner in an announcement on Saturday blamed trade leaders for fueling the incident.
The assertion learn: “The video circulating on social media by which a younger man was allegedly shot and killed by the Anambra State Particular Anti-Touting Squad has attracted the eye of the Anambra State Authorities.
“The info are as follows: on Friday, February 16, the Particular Anambra State Anti-Touting Squad was on its typical official mission to clear the Niger Bridge Head space of Agberos (touts) and extort cash from transport firms and consumers of the encircling markets.
“In an try to arrest the errant Agberos, a few of them ended up on the close by Ogbo Ogu (pharmaceutical) market.
“Whereas SASA went after the perpetrators, some market merchants launched huge acid assaults on them. 4 of the seven-member SASA workforce suffered life-threatening accidents from the acid assault and docs try to save lots of their lives in hospital.
“As if the acid assault was ineffective, the market safety personnel began firing on the unarmed SASA officers.
“When it grew to become clear that SASA couldn’t arrest the Agberos out there because of the life-threatening assault on them, they withdrew.
“It was at this level that the Nigerian Navy intervened to cease the ugly scenario. Throughout the shootout with the market safety, the younger man in query was sadly hit by the bullet of the market safety personnel.”
Nwosu mentioned the cartridges discovered across the younger man (as evidenced within the video) belong to pump motion rifles generally utilized by vigilante teams and market safety personnel, including that the cartridges don’t match the mannequin of service rifles utilized by the Nigerian Navy used. .
“It’s due to this fact unlucky that the commentator of the favored video has glossed over the main points of what occurred, making the sufferer (SASA) the villain.
“The market authority's story that the younger man was shot as a result of he was urinating is solely incomprehensible. SASA officers aren’t OCHA brigade or sanitary inspectors or environmental remediation officers who’ve the accountability to deal with such crimes.
“SASA doesn’t carry firearms and couldn’t have shot the younger man for any purpose. Furthermore, SASA's mission is to not kill however to arrest Agboros who’re extorting cash from the hardworking Ndi Anambra. And the place arrests happen, the suspects are dropped at justice.
“This incident casts doubt on the position of our casual non-public sector, for instance, markets, motor parks, and many others. within the struggle in opposition to crime to make Anambra State the viable and affluent state that Governor Chukwuma Soludo Ndi Anambra promised. A spot the place markets, transport providers and varied non-public sector initiatives ought to thrive.
“It’s actually unlucky {that a} suspected violator of the legislation who’s fleeing arrest is being given safety by a official market whose management is duly acknowledged by the Anambra State authorities.
“In the meantime, trade leaders have been among the many many main stakeholders who lent their voices to different Ndi Anambra by passionately calling on Soludo to rid Anambra State of Agberos and racketeers.
“The federal government calls on the police to completely examine what led to this unlucky incident and be certain that these answerable for this heinous act face the total wrath of the legislation,” the assertion mentioned.
