Posted by By Jimitota Onoyume on
FEAR gripped Sapele residents yesterday when youths from Macpherson and Ogodo road areas of the town took over major streets protesting the killing of one Grant Akuya by a mobile policeman at Amukpe.
WARRI - FEAR gripped Sapele residents yesterday when youths from Macpherson and Ogodo road areas of the town took over major streets protesting the killing of one Grant Akuya by a mobile policeman at Amukpe.
Narrating the incident to our reporter, an eye witness said the late Akuya who boarded a commercial motorcycle popularly known as Okada from Amukpe was on his way to Ogodo road where he operated a barbing salon when mobile policemen flagged down the bike. It was not clear if their intention was to extort money but the source continued that after an argument between the Okada rider and the policemen which lasted some minutes the policemen then insisted on searching the late youth's bag in which they allegedly found Indian hemp.
According to the source, the mobile policemen allegedly subjected the passenger to physical torture right there. And when the pain seemingly became unbearable, the passenger made efforts to escape but was gunned down.
As soon as news of his death filtered into town, according to another source, youths from the Macpherson and Ogodo road areas immediately cordoned off major streets with bonfires, protesting the killing.
Some of the protesters who spoke to our reporter said they were provoked by the action of the mobile policeman who fired at the late Grant. "He was already in their custody so the shot was not necessary", one of them said. Describing the action of the police as an abuse, the youths threatened a showdown with them (police) in the town