By Izunna Okafor, Awka
What could be best described as tension reportedly erupted around the Onitsha Head Bridge in Anambra State on Wednesday following a confrontation between police operatives and some members of the public which left some victims with gunshot injuries and triggered a protest that disrupted traffic along the ever-busy expressway.
The incident, which occurred on around Ọgbọ Ọgwụ Market, reportedly began after police operatives stopped and searched one of the victims, according to eyewitness accounts and videos currently circulating on social media.
The eyewitnesses alleged that the officers searched the victim but were unable to find any incriminating item or exhibit on him. They further claimed that the officers thereafter attempted to arrest and take him into their vehicle, an action the victim reportedly resisted.
The confrontation was said to have escalated in the process, with one of the police officers allegedly firing at some of the victims, leaving them with serious gunshot injuries.
The development reportedly angered people around the area, who subsequently blocked the expressway in protest, causing disruption to vehicular and human movement around the Head Bridge.
This was corroborated by video from the scene which is currently trending on social media.
However, the Anambra State Police Command has given a preliminary account of the incident, describing it as a confrontation that occurred during an attempted arrest.
In a statement issued to newsmen on Wednesday by the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, was said to have addressed the crowd at Onitsha over the incident and disclosed that the primary concern and priority of the Command at the moment was the recovery of the injured victims.
The Police Commissioner subsequently visited the victims at the hospital, where, according to Ikenga, he assured them of the Command’s support and personally pledged to ensure that their medical expenses were covered.
CP Oji Ama also ordered a thorough and impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, particularly the events that led to the discharge of the firearm.
The Commissioner, according to the police spokesman, stressed that the investigation would establish what actually transpired and guide whatever action may be considered appropriate based on its findings.
The Command’s position comes against the backdrop of conflicting accounts surrounding the incident, with eyewitnesses and videos circulating online presenting a different narrative about how the confrontation allegedly began and escalated.
While the police statement said the suspects allegedly resisted arrest and that the confrontation resulted in gunshot injuries, the eyewitnesses claimed that the victim had first been searched without any exhibit reportedly being found before the attempt was allegedly made to take him into the police vehicle.
The conflicting accounts have consequently heightened concern over the circumstances surrounding the shooting, particularly the events immediately preceding the discharge of the firearm.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police appealed for calm, urging members of the public to remain peaceful and allow the investigation to run its course.
He reiterated the Command’s commitment to professionalism, accountability, respect for human life and adherence to the rule of law.
As of Wednesday evening, the police said the situation around the Head Bridge had been de-escalated, with traffic and human movement restored to the area.
The Command’s investigation is now expected to provide a clearer account of what transpired, including the circumstances surrounding the attempted arrest, the confrontation and the subsequent use of the firearm.
