By Titus Eleweke
Anambra-born human rights lawyer and lead counsel to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, has condemned the alleged shooting of unarmed civilians at the popular Ogbo-Ogwu Bridge Head Market in Onitsha, Anambra State.
Ejiofor, reacting to reports of the shooting of a trader by police officers, called for an immediate, thorough, impartial, transparent and independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
He specifically urged the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, and the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, to identify all officers involved and ensure that anyone found culpable faces the full weight of the law.
“I call upon the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Disu, and the Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, to ensure an immediate, independent and painstaking investigation into the incident; identify every officer who discharged a firearm or otherwise participated in any unlawful excesses; establish the circumstances and, where culpability is established, ensure that the law takes its full and uncompromising course,” Ejiofor said.
According to him, accounts emerging from traders at the market contain serious allegations that some police personnel routinely operate within the area for enforcement purposes, but allegedly subject traders to harassment, arrests and demands for gratification.
He said the allegations, if established, should trigger urgent institutional scrutiny and accountability.
Ejiofor further alleged that on Wednesday morning, a trader leaving the market with a carton of goods was pursued by policemen and, after reportedly failing to stop, was allegedly shot at close range.
He said the incident reportedly triggered a civil protest, during which allegations of indiscriminate police shooting resulted in serious injuries and loss of lives.
The lawyer described the development as a disturbing departure from the constitutional and professional responsibility of law enforcement officers to protect lives, maintain public order and exercise their powers with restraint, necessity and proportionality.
He said that even where a civilian protest becomes tense or disorderly, it should not be regarded as justification for indiscriminate use of lethal force.
“The dead cannot speak for themselves. The injured deserve justice. The bereaved deserve answers. And the public deserves the truth,” he said.
Ejiofor added that the police leadership must demonstrate that accountability applies even when allegations are made against its own personnel.
“I trust that the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force will rise above institutional sentiment, investigate without fear or favour, and demonstrate that the uniform is a shield for the citizen, not a licence to violate the citizen,” he added.
Police: Investigation Will Establish Facts
However, the Anambra State Police Command offered a different account of the incident.
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, while addressing the crowd in Onitsha, explained that the incident arose from a confrontation during an attempted arrest.
According to Ikenga, suspects allegedly resisted arrest, resulting in gunshot injuries.
He said the Commissioner subsequently visited the victims at the hospital, where he assured them of the Command’s support and pledged to personally ensure that their medical expenses were covered.
“CP Nnanna further ordered a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, particularly the events leading to the discharge of the firearm,” Ikenga said.
He added that the investigation would establish the facts and ensure that appropriate action was taken based on its findings.
The Commissioner also appealed for calm, urging residents and traders to remain peaceful while the investigation continues.
He reiterated the Command’s commitment to professionalism, accountability, respect for human life and the rule of law.
The conflicting accounts have heightened calls for a credible investigation that will establish exactly what happened at the market, determine whether excessive force was used and ensure justice for anyone found to have suffered unlawful harm.
Tags: #Onitsha #PoliceAccountability #Anambra
