Delta State residents are once again outraged. On Thursday, April 30, a police officer allegedly shot a young man in the leg in the Okuidiere-Oviore-Ovu community, Orerokpe area.….....
Videos circulating widely on social media captured the incident. Eyewitnesses say officers from the Orerokpe Division drove into the community and met some young men relaxing outside.
The police accused them of smoking drugs. When the youths denied the claim and resisted, one officer opened fire, hitting one young man in the leg. The victim is now receiving treatment in hospital.
The incident happened just five days after the killing of 28-year-old musician Oghenemine Ogidi, popularly known as Mene Ogidi, in Effurun.
A viral video showed him tied up and begging for his life before ASP Nuhu Usman shot him dead. The Delta Police Command has dismissed Usman and the other officers involved, who will now face court.
The command has denied using live bullets this time. It says officers fired only tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd and that one canister accidentally struck the man on the leg. No live ammunition was used, the police insist.
Many Nigerians are not convinced by this explanation. Residents are calling for a swift and transparent investigation as well as genuine police reform in Delta State. The command says it has begun probing the matter.
Fear and distrust are growing among the people. Delta youths say they have had enough.
