A/Ibom CP Detains Trigger-Happy Officer After Injuring 7-Year-Old At Checkpoint

 By Iniobong Ekponta

A/Ibom CP Detains Trigger-Happy Officer After Injuring 7-Year-Old At Checkpoint

As medics fight to save the life of a seven-year-old child shot dead by a corrupt officer at a checkpoint in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, the Commissioner of Police (CP), Baba Mohammed Azare, has ordered immediate arrest of the trigger-happy operative, LEADERSHIP learnt over the weekend.

The unfortunate incident according to eyewitnesses, took place at a security checkpoint along Abak Road on Friday, September 11, when a car carrying a family back home was stopped for a stop-and-search exercise, but ended in a scuffle allegedly over a bribe demand.

“There was an intense argument and disagreement that led to the pulling of the trigger against the helpless civilian by the officer which unfortunately led to the injury of the child,” a witness recollected and urged for “a stern disciplinary action against security personnel who are in the habit of turning the guns given to them for civil protection against the very citizens they are paid to protect at a slightest provocation.”

However, CP Azare, has promised to carry out “thorough and impartial investigation into the incident,” noting that a security personnel of the Quick Response Squad (QRS), who committed the heinous act against a family has been arrested and taken to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), awaiting full investigation, prosecution and punishment.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Timfon John, has revealed that CP Azare, had since swung into action, ordering the immediate arrest and detention of the Police suspect for investigation and prosecution.

“Preliminary information available to the Command shows that at about 21:30hrs, police personnel conducting a routine stop-and-search operation along Abak Road stopped a vehicle carrying members of a family.

“It was alleged that during the encounter, a smoke pistol was discharged by one of the officers, resulting in an injury to the left hand of a seven-year-old boy who was in the vehicle.

“Immediately the incident came to the knowledge of the commissioner of police, he directed that the officer reportedly involved, Inspector Monday Okonta, be identified, disarmed and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Uyo, pending the outcome of a comprehensive investigation,” she stated.

According to the police spokesman, who has asked the public to remain calm, the CP’s intervention is a clear indication of the seriousness with which the Command views the incident.

While the distraught parents and sympathizers have been praying for the child to survive, DSP John, disclosed that her boss, CP Azare, has personally gone to visit the injured child in the hospital, where he interacted with the family, evaluated the condition of the child and assured them that the case would be thoroughly investigated, adding that “the child is currently stable and responding well to treatment.”

“CP Azare was worried over the incident and assured the family of the injured child that the Command will investigate the entire circumstance surrounding the matter,” DSP John revealed.

“The Commissioner of Police reiterated that while officers of the Command will continue to carry out their lawful duties of crime prevention, stop-and-search and protection of lives and property, such duties must at all times be carried out with the highest level of professionalism, restraint, responsibility and respect for the safety and rights of members of the public,” she informed.

“The CP further stressed that the State Police Command will neither shield nor condone any act of misconduct, recklessness or abuse of authority by any officer,” she warned.

“Accordingly, where the investigation will prove any misconduct or culpability, appropriate disciplinary and legal actions will be taken in line with the existing laws and Police regulations,” DSP John assured.

The CP, she emphasized, has appealed to the family and to the members of the public to remain calm and allow the investigation to take its full course, assuring that the process will be thorough, professional and just for all parties.

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The CP, therefore, has appealed to the members of the public to continue to cooperate with Police officers at lawful checkpoints and stop-and-search points, while assuring citizens that genuine complaints against personnel would continue to be appropriately attended to.

“The Akwa Ibom State Police Command is committed to protecting lives and property, upholding the rule of law and maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and accountability,” she assured.

However, some civil rights advocates have attributed the frequent misunderstandings and breaches of civil-military relationship between security agencies and the citizens to “low morale, drugs infestation across the ranks and file, and faulty recruitment process without proper screening through political patronage.”