A stray bullet fired by operatives of the police attached to Nembe Police Station in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, on Thursday hit and killed a man believed to be a trader at a nearby market.
The middle-aged man, popularly known as Owus, was hit on the head and he died on the spot.
It was gathered that the arrest of two Hausa men angered some youths, leading to a confrontation with the police in a bid to get them released.
An eyewitness, who identified himself as Uchenna, said, “The police arrested two Hausa guys caught smoking Indian hemp and took them to the station but some of their Hausa brothers confronted the officers with bottles and sticks, insisting that they must be released.
“The situation led to the policemen releasing some gunshots which hit one of the Hausa guys in the left arm and the late Owus in the head, killing him in the process.
“Others that were running away for safety sustained various degrees of injuries. Although the dead man had been taken to the mortuary, everyone is still in shock.”
Our correspondent, who visited the scene of the incident, observed that Nembe Market had been shut down while soldiers and policemen had taken over strategic locations around the place.
When contacted, spokesperson for the Police in Rivers, DSP Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident