Police patrol team shoots soldier, wounds three others

It was a black Thursday for many residents of the commercial
city of Onitsha as tragedies befell the city in droves with a
policeman allegedly shooting a soldier and wounded three
others at Upper Iweka while a two storey building was razed
by late evening inferno.
The incidents occurring simultaneously at the Upper Iweka and
Ogboli roads in Onitsha, left many residents bewildered.
It was gathered that no fewer than four persons including an
unknown soldier were reportedly shot by a team of Policemen
at the Young Shall Grow Motor Park, Upper Iweka, Onitsha..
Eyewitnesses disclosed that trouble started when a police
patrol team stormed the park as usual and allegedly
demanded money from the management of the park.
Saturday Sun further gathered that the incident triggered off
reactions from the residents who mobilized to attack the
policemen for shooting the soldier which led to more
casualties as the policemen began to shoot indiscriminately in
order to escape from scene.
A police Inspector leading the team allegedly brought out his
rifle and started shooting indiscriminately ostensibly to scare
the surging mob and in the process stray bullets hit one
person in the stomach while two others sustained injuries.
It was gathered that the soldier was at the park to board a
vehicle back to his base in Borno State when the incident
occurred. However, a team of soldiers from the 302 Artillery
Regiment, Onitsha on distress call stormed the park, arrested
the trigger happy policemen and drove them to the army
barracks while the leader of the team and Inspector of police
was handed over to the police authority at the Central Police
Station, CPS, Onitsha.
However, when contacted, the Anambra State Police Public
Relations Officer, (PPRO), Mr. Uche Eze, said he was attending
a funeral and as such he had no details of the incidents.