Police shoot 18- year-old boy to death in Edo

An 18-year-old boy, identified as Chinedu Abimbor, has allegedly been shot dead by police in Edo State.

The tragic incident which occurred at a police checkpoint located in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of the state.

An eyewitness explained that the deceased’s younger brother was also arrested by the police.

According to him, the victim, who was driving a Mercedes-Benz, refused to stop when flagged down by operatives, an action which allegedly angered one of the operatives, who immediately fired at the vehicle, killing the victim in the process.

He also added that the victim’s brother, who was in the vehicle at the time of the incident, was immediately arrested by the police and taken into custody.

The ugly incident sparked protests by youths and the deceased’s family, who demanded justice for the slain teenager and called for the culprit to be brought to book.

Meanwhile, the Edo State Police Command has ordered a full-scale investigation into the incident to ascertain what actually happened.

Spokeman of the Police Command, Moses Yamu, who confirmed the incident to newsmen in Benin City, the state capital, described the incident as unfortunate.

Yamu explained that the operatives involved are members of a joint operation team of security forces.

He added that the state's police Commissioner, Betty Otimenyin, had ordered the immediate withdrawal of the three patrol teams implicated in the incident from operations.

According to him, the Commissioner while commiserating with the family and friends of the deceased, asked the protesters to remain calm with assurance that justice will be served on anyone found wanting in the matter.