A trigger-happy official of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has reportedly shot dead a 26-year-old employee of Dompec Global Resources, an Uyo-based beverages distribution firm. The corps, said to be on the run, was on a stop-and-search duty with his colleagues on Ikot Ekpene Road, Akwa Ibom State when the incident occurred on Wednesday. It was learnt that on sighting the delivery van with registration number XC 225UYY, the NSCDC team flagged down the vehicle.
The deceased name was given as. Realising the consequence of their action, the NSCDC officials took to their heels. But colleagues of the deceased alerted passers-by who promptly called the attention of police officers.
The van was later driven to the NSCDC office on Ekpanya Street by one of the occupants of the van as he struggled to come to terms with the sudden demise of his colleague. At their head office, some NSCDC officials tried to prevent journalists from taking snapshots of the body of John which was yet to be removed from the vehicle as at 5:30pm when journalists left. It was a moving scene as passers-by watched in utter shock.
The NSCDC Commandant, Obiageli Obiajulu, expressed sadness over the incident. She promised that the culprit would be fished out and brought to book. Obiajulu told journalists that she had already dispatched a team to apprehend the suspected killer.
When contacted yesterday, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Cordelia Nwawe, confirmed the killing. She said: “Investigation into the murder is ongoing. Police are on the trail of the murder suspect.
We will make our findings public.” On his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Dompec Global Resources, Deacon Daniel Chukwuma, said he was destabilised by the incident. He described John as a very humble young man who was very dedicated to his work. Chukwuma said John’s killing was hard to take considering the circumstances of his death. While calling on the NSCDC and other security agencies to arrest the culprit, he promised to seek redress in court.
The Legal Consultant of the company, Fidelis Amaechi, described the incident as inhuman and a gross abuse of arms by the NSCDC official. He said the matter was a serious case and would be treated as such. Meanwhile, some prominent Igbo leaders, who were at the scene to show support and solidarity to one of their own, vowed to get to the root of the matter.
