Residents of Omagwa community in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State took to the streets on Sunday, barricading the Omagwa road leading to the Port Harcourt International Airport.
The protest erupted following the alleged killing of a community member, Bright Chikuma Egbule, by a police officer attached to the Omagwa Divisional Police Command.
Eyewitnesses recounted that police officers stormed the community in the early hours of Sunday, during which one of them fatally shot Egbule.
“Policemen from Omagwa divisional police station had invaded the deceased’s house in the early hours of Sunday and shot him dead. No explanation was given for the killing of the innocent man.”
“Following that incident, the community rose in protest, firstly taking the corpse to the police station where it was reported that the police opened fire on the harmless protesters.”
Outraged by the incident, residents carried the victim’s remains to the police station before blocking the road to the airport, causing significant disruption to vehicular movement.
One protester decried the frequent harassment faced by the Omagwa community at the hands of security personnel.
“We fear the protest may escalate if nothing is done to address the matter and bring the rogue policemen to justice. This is a very unfortunate incident. In recent times, my Omagwa people have been victims of harassment from security agencies.
“Today’s incident brings to the fore the harassment my people are suffering in the hands of security personnel who are supposed to protect them but have now turned around to become their tormentors.”
Reacting to the unrest, the spokesperson of the Rivers State Police Command, SP Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident, assuring that the Commissioner of Police is handling the matter.
She added, “The Commissioner of Police is on top of the situation,” stating that normalcy had been restored and that adequate security measures were in place to prevent any further disturbances.
