Five operatives of the Plateau State Police Command have been arrested for allegedly shooting a 17-year-old boy, Ibuchim Ofezie, in Jos.
This was made known on Monday by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the command, DSP Alfred Alabo, who said the personnel were attached to its C Division.
Earlier, the embattled personnel had visited the terminus market in Jos to effect the ban on operation of commercial motorcycle in the state and arrest those flouting it.
Unfortunately, the deceased was hit and killed by a spray bullet from the personnel’s gun, who shot sporadically to disperse the illegal operators.
It was learnt that Ofezie was sitting in his shop at the market when the incident happened.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Bartholomew Onyeka, according to the command’s image maker, condemned the incident and vowed that the affected personnel would be sanctioned after proper investigation.
READ ALSO: Lagos Residents Find Abandoned One-Day-Old Baby By Roadside
“The command condemned the killing of one Mr Ibuchim Ofezie, a resident of Agingi Community of Bassa Local Government Area, by some obdurate police patrol operatives attached to our “C” Division.
“The Police Commissioner, who described the incident as a paradox, asserted that police officers are empowered by law to bear firearms to protect the lives of the citizenry and not to take lives with them.
“In order to ensure that the erring patrol team do not evade justice, the commissioner has immediately ordered their arrest.
“The five personnel in the patrol team have been arrested and are currently being investigated at our Homicide Section of the Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) of the command,” he said.
Alabo said that the commissioner assured the family and friends of the deceased and indeed Plateau residents in general that suspects would be thoroughly investigated and justice would be served.
The PPRO promised that the outcome of the investigation would be made public.