Nigeria’s Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo has said the victim of an alleged shooting by police officers in Ughelli, Delta State, is alive.
Keyamo in a tweet on said he spoke with the brother of the victim, Ochuko, stating that the police men involved in the franca were not Special Anti Robbery Squad.
“The outfit involved in this case is called Operation Delta Safe and not SARS (b) the victim was not shot as confirmed by his brother but fell out of the Police vehicle when being taken to the station after arrest,” the minister said while condemning alleged extra-judicial killings by officers of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (F-SARS) and other units of the police.
“The brother said he was pushed; the Police said he jumped.
Kayamo also shared a photo of the victim on the hospital bed with injuries, further narrated that after he (victim) fell, police officers wanted to pick him up “but an angry mob had already gathered and the Police fled and left the victim. A Good Samaritan picked him & took him to hospital.”
This is however, contrary to the narrative painted by a Twitter user who uploaded the footage on the social media platform.
The Twitter user who said he recorded SARS officials shooting “a young boy dead at Ughelli, Delta state . . . in front of Wetland hotels. They left him for dead on the roadside and drove away with the deceased Lexus jeep.”
The video sparked outrage and reignited a public call for the shutdown of a controversial police unit in the country.
Nigeria’s inspector general of police on Sunday banned a SARS unit from carrying out stop and search duties and setting up roadblocks amid growing anger at routine harassment and atrocities allegedly committed by its officers.
Mohammed Adamu also said members of the SARS must always wear uniforms.
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