Police officer shoots colleague in Abia after ‘argument’

The Abia police command says a police officer has been arrested for shooting his colleague.

The deceased, identified as Samuel Ugor, a police inspector, was said to have been shot dead following an argument.

Speaking at a media briefing, Godfrey Ogbonna, Abia police spokesman, confirmed the incident on Monday in Umuahia, the state capital.

According to NAN, the police officers were attached to Ginger Onwusibe, the lawmaker representing Isiala Ngwa south constituency in the Abia house of assembly.

The police spokesman said the incident occurred on Saturday, adding that investigation had commenced into the matter.

Ogbonna described the incident as unfortunate and condemnable, adding that “the policemen are from SPU Base 15, Anambra, but attached to the legislator”.

He said the officer who fired the shot is currently in custody, while the remains of the deceased have been deposited in the morgue.

“The case is under investigation by SCID to unravel the circumstances that led to the incident,” he added.

While not a frequent occurrence, there have been incidents of police officers shooting their colleagues over varying reasons.

In June 2021, a police inspector was arrested in Enugu after a shooting spree that resulted in the death of five persons.

In May 2020, the Lagos police command arrested one Monday Gabriel, identified as a police inspector, who went berserk and shot sporadically, leading to the death of Felix Okago, a sergeant.

Months before, in December 2019, a police inspector shot dead a corporal and injured a deputy superintendent before taking his own life in the federal capital territory (FCT).