The Rivers State Command has taken into custody a police inspector, identified as Victor Okus, following the fatal shooting of a fellow officer and the serious injury of another during a duty assignment in Port Harcourt.
The incident occurred on Sunday, January 18, at the Next Cash & Carry supermarket located in the Trans-Amadi axis of the state capital.
A statement issued on Monday by the Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed that Inspector Ibrahim Sani, who sustained gunshot wounds, died shortly afterwards, while Inspector Daniel Dauda is currently receiving treatment.
According to the police, the officers, all attached to 14 PMF, Yola, were deployed to the shopping complex as part of a joint security operation with the military when the tragedy struck.
The Command alleged that Inspector Okus, reportedly on special assignment from 17 PMF to Intels, Onne, opened fire on his colleagues, striking them in the head and neck.
The victims were immediately evacuated to Nopsam Hospital, but Sani was later confirmed dead and his remains transferred to the Military Hospital mortuary for autopsy.
The Rivers Commissioner of Police, Olugbenga Adepoju, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the shooting, pledging transparency and assuring that justice will be served.
Okus is expected to undergo an Orderly Room Trial before possible prosecution in court.
Adepoju warned officers to exercise maximum caution in handling firearms, stressing that armed duty “is a serious responsibility that demands absolute alertness to avoid needless loss of life.”
The Command extended its condolences to the family and colleagues of the late Inspector Sani.