By Kelvin Obambon
A police officer attached to the Atakpa Division in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, has shot three persons after he went haywire.
The incident took place on Sunday morning around the Watt market axis where the police station is located.
According to eyewitness accounts, the officer whose name could not be ascertained at the time of filing this report, was said to have shown signs of mental instability inside the police station.
“He was laying outside the station with his firearm. His colleagues were afraid to go close to him. And then he started shooting sporadically into the air. At that moment many of the policemen started running, with some scaling the fence over to the Yoruba line in Watt market.
“When he stood up, he walked towards the road and then started shooting again. Three persons were hit by stray bullets,” one of the eyewitnesses said.
Another eyewitness who claimed to live at Garden street, the vicinity of the police station, alleged that “the policeman had taken colos. It’s the effect of the drugs that’s tormenting him.”
Our correspondent who visited the scene of the incident reports that the area was cordoned off and vehicular and pedestrian movements were diverted.
When contacted on phone, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Irene Ugbo, confirmed the incident and said that the situation was under control.
“It’s true it happened. The Inspector came from bit, and all of a sudden he started misbehaving. We don’t know the cause of his irrational behaviour. He started shooting sporadically into the air, and telling people not to come near him. In the process three people were hit. One woman is dead right now, two are in the hospital and in critical condition. The Inspector has been arrested. He’s in our custody,” she said.
