A 400-level student of Kwararafa University, Wukari in Taraba State, Ahenjir Emmanuella, has been allegedly killed by a stray bullet fired by a police officer during a stop-and-search operation in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
The incident was said to have occurred around 8.00 am on Friday at the Wurukum roundabout, where officers from the Benue State Police Command were conducting routine checks.
Witnesses said an officer suddenly opened fire on a commercial vehicle carrying passengers, including Emmanuella, who was fatally hit after the bullet pierced into the bus.
Emmanuella was reportedly on her way back to school when the tragic incident happened.
A close friend of the deceased, Igbor Iorbo, who spoke to journalists in Makurdi, described the incident as heartbreaking and called for justice.
“In the early hours of today(Friday), officers from ‘E’ Division shot and killed my friend, Emmanuella. We are not asking for much, just justice.
“The officers involved must be identified and subjected to a transparent investigation. Lives must not continue to be lost at the hands of those meant to protect us. This must stop,” she said.
Similarly, a human rights and gender activist, Ukan Kurugh, has called on the police authorities not to sweep the matter under the carpet, expressing disappointment over the silence from the force.
He said that the police had not deemed it fit to address the matter since it happened early Friday, threatening that if the alleged perpetrator was not named by the weekend, there would be “a mother of all peaceful protest” in Makurdi.
However, the Benue State Police Command said it had launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Emmanuella.
CSP Anene Sewuese Catherine, command’s spokesperson in a statement confirmed that the incident occurred in the early hours of Friday.
