Happy-Police Sergent in Niger Kills Driver Over N50 Bribe

Trigger-Happy Police Sergent in Niger Kills Driver Over N50 Bribe

Olabode Adaramola
Tragedy struck over the weekend along Tegina- Lagos road in Mashegu Local Government of Niger state as a trigger-happy Police sergeant at a check point shot dead, at a close range a J5 bus driver, whose name could not be immediately ascertained, policeman over N100 bribe .

The bus’s conductor was however lucky and escaped death by the whiskers but sustained a fracture from the gun shot which killed the driver and was hospitalised in the process in the incident which happened on Saturday.

Sources close to the scene said the police sergeant had demanded for N100 bribe but the driver pleaded that he had only N50 on him and offered same.

The policeman, whose name was given as Isah Mohammed, was said to have insisted on the collection of the balance of N50 but the deceased driver was quoted as saying he could only part away with what he had already offered and walked towards his vehicle.

This was said to have aggravated the annoyance of the policeman who cocked his rifle and fired a shot at the driver, killing him on the spot, while the conductor sustained a fracture in the leg.

The situation led to the barricade of the Tegina-Lagos road by other irate drivers for few hours in protest.

The Police Public Relation Officer (PPRO) Niger State Police Command, DSP Bala Elkana, who confirmed the incident, said the affected policeman has been arrested and detained in a police cell at the state Police Command Headquarters, Minna.

DSP Elkana said the Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Zubairu Muazu has ordered a thorough investigation into the unfortunate incident.

He stated further that the commissioner urged the members of the public, especially commercial drivers not to take law into their hands, while also assuring the public that justice would be done in the case.