- Military authorities probe shooting incident
The Edo State Police Command has confirmed that the soldier responsible for shooting a protester during the Ekpoma unrest has been identified, with the matter formally referred to military authorities for disciplinary action.
The victim, 32-year-old Osagie Abraham, was shot on Saturday during a protest in Ekpoma, headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area. The demonstration followed the killing of a kidnap victim by his abductors a day earlier.
Youths and students, angered by the incident, took to the streets of the university town and blocked the busy Benin–Auchi highway, disrupting vehicular movement and commercial activities.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Eno Ikoedem, said on Sunday that the military operative involved in the shooting have been identified, adding that “appropriate military authorities have been duly informed for necessary administrative and disciplinary action in line with established protocols.”
Ikoedem also disclosed that several individuals who hijacked the protest to perpetrate violence, vandalise property and loot shops have been arrested, adding that investigations are ongoing to ensure all those responsible face justice.
“Regrettably, the protest was hijacked and all the rules of peaceful protest were ignored, leading to malicious damage, looting, vandalisation of shops, and a military personnel discharging firearms at a protester,” Ikoedem said in a statement.
The police spokesperson explained that following the escalation, the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, fdc, personally led tactical reinforcements from the state headquarters in Benin to Ekpoma to regain control.
“Through coordinated deployments, strategic positioning of personnel and professional crowd-control measures, normalcy was swiftly restored across the affected areas,” Ikoedem added.
She further revealed that CP Agbonika visited the injured protester, who is currently receiving treatment at the Eromoele Medical Centre in Ekpoma.