The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) has dismissed reports of its officer attached to the House of Representatives speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, killing a newspaper vendor in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
Yusuf Mariam, Public Relations Officer of the Federal Capital Territory force command stated this in a Friday statement.
Yesterday, reports emerged that a personnel of the NPF shot dead a newspaper vendor close to the National Assembly. Mr Gbajabiamila confirmed the incident he described as horrific, adding that the said officer has been suspended from moving with his convoy.
Unfortunately, after the convoy set out in continuation of movement, unidentified men obstructed the convoy which got the attention of security men in the convoy who shot into the air to disperse them.
— Femi Gbajabiamila (@femigbaja) November 20, 2020
“The FCT Police Command wishes to unequivocally refute the allegation making round sections of the media that a Police officer attached to the convoy of the Speaker of the House of Representatives shot at a newspaper vendor within the Three Arm Zone on Thursday 19th November, 2020,” the police statement read.
“Contrary to the misleading information, preliminary investigation into the unfortunate incident reveals that the security aide who shot at the vendor is not a member of the Nigeria Police Force.
“However, the Commissioner of Police FCT CP. Bala Ciroma has ordered a discreet investigation into the incident.
“While commiserating with the family and friends of the deceased, the Commissioner of Police wishes to guarantee members of the public that the Command will be lucid in its investigation and ensure the findings are made public,” it added.
