A policeman in Uso, Owo local government area of Ondo state, allegedly opened fire on a haulage driver over his “refusal to part with bribe”.
Reporters gathered that the yet-to-be identified driver was shot around 2pm while moving some items to Abuja.
A witness said policemen at a checkpoint in Uso stopped the driver and made their request known but the driver failed to comply, insisting that his documents were complete.
“The policemen flagged him down and he complied. After they demanded money from him but he refused, insisting that all his papers were intact. It later generated a lot of argument. The argument led to the shooting of the driver at close range,” the witness said.
Femi Joseph, spokesman of the Ondo police command, described the action of the officer who shot the victim as barbaric.
He said the commissioner of police in the state had ordered a thorough investigation of the incident.
“The Ondo State Police Command regrets the unfortunate incident leading to the death of a truck driver whose identity is not yet known today 2/12/2019,” he said in a statement.
“The deceased was allegedly shot and killed by one of our Men who was on duty with others at about 1 p.m. at a point in USO via Owo.
“The Command Condemns this barbaric and gruesome murder in its entirety. While we Commiserate with the family of the deceased, we want to say that the action of this erring officer does not represent what the Nigerian police or the Command stands for.
“The Nigerian Police and by extension the Ondo State Command respects the sanctity of life and dignity of human person as enshrined in the Nigerian constitutions.
“Consequently, the Commissioner of Police Ondo State has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident while the defaulting officer will be made to face the full Wrath of the law.
“Once again, we apologise profusely for any inconvenience or embarrassment this isolated action must have caused anyone.”