From Ogbonnaya Ndukwe, Aba
Family of a 24-year-old tailor, Solomon Isaac, allegedly shot to death by men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Aba, Abia State, has called on government, Commissioner of Police, civil society organisations and other related groups, to assist in calling for the arrest and prosecution of those behind the killing.
Father of the deceased, Agbai Isaac, told Daily Sun, that his son was on his way back to his tailoring shop along Uratta Road, Aba, on January 7, 2022, when men of the NSCDC chasing hoodlums, inadvertently pointed their guns and fired sporadically at their No 6 Obuda Street residence gate and killing him:
«Police said the matter was already reported to them when we arrived at the station but did not tell us who did and the person›s interest in the killing. They blamed us for not bringing the boy first to the station before taking him to hospital.”
Isaac’s younger brother, Sunny Agbai, who was at home at the time of the shooting said Solomon was shot, as he opened the gate and was leaving for his shop. Sunny said he was taken to two hospitals, while the police at the Aba Area Command where they had approached to report the incident referred them to the Uratta station.
The victim, he lamented, was later taken to the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) Hospital, in Ogbor Hill, where he was declared dead. His body was deposited in the mortuary.
Elder brother of the slain tailor, Chijioke Isaac, told our correspondent that he had gone out of the gate where he bought detergent to wash his clothes. He said he was just stepping into the compound when the gunshots hit his younger brother, and he (Solomon), fell into his arms, shouting: “Ha agbagbuola mooh” (They have killed me).
He said efforts to trace the “security operatives” were not successful initially, due to the immediate actions taken to save the life of the deceased.
Police spokesperson, Geoffrey Ogbonna, could not be reached as his phone was switched off. But, a source within the Aba Area Command said the matter was reported to it and referred to Uratta Divisional headquarters for investigation.