Nigerians demand justice for student, Juliana Martin Akpaette hospitalized for over a month after she was allegedly shot by police
A female student of the University of Benin has been hospitalized for over a month after she was allegedly shot by a police officer in Benin, Edo state.
Juliana Martin Akpaette and other Niger Delta Students in Tertiary Institutions visited the office of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), in Ogba, on October 28, 2021, but were denied entry.
As it was raining, they stood under the security post for shelter and were chanting solidarity songs when some police officers allegedly started shooting and Juliana was hit.
A statement from a Facebook account calling for justice reads: “The Niger Delta Student in Tertiary institutions were supposed to have a workshop on the new Petroluem Industrial Act (PIA) on October 27 and 28, at the NPDC office in Ogba, but NPDC canceled it.
“Juliana and her colleagues had gone to the NPDC office for a meeting to resolve the contending issues between the management of the NPDC and the students shortlisted for the workshop with the view of forseeing a common ground.
“Unfortunately, the students were barred from entry for inexplicable reasons. Due to heavy rain fall, they sought shelter under the security post of the NPDC chanting solidarity song in an orderly and peaceful manner.
Suddenly, a team of Police officers invited by the NPDC Management and led by D.S.P Odagboyi Emmanuel arrived the scene, and in an hostile and aggressive manner started firing gunshots directly at the students. In the process Juliana was hit by the bullet released from the gunshot of DSP Odagboyi Emmanuel.
“It been more than a month now and NPDC has failed to respond or even reach out to the poor innocent girl that almost lost her life at NPDC Ogba. The young girl have been abandoned and she is currently going through physical and mental trauma.”