Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State Police Command has detained an officer, CPL Sa’adu Adamu, for accidentally shooting a man, Habibu Muhammed, while responding to the scene of an impending lynching of a motorcycle thief in Birnin Kebbi on Monday
Police spokesman DSP Nafiu Abubakar, who confirmed the arrest of the officer in a statement made available to newsmen in Birnin Kebbi, stated that the officer has been detained and is undergoing interrogation at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Birnin Kebbi.
According to him: ‘The Kebbi State Police Command wishes to inform members of the general public that today at about 1500 hrs, information received that one Abdulaziz Umar, ‘m’, aged 35-years, made away with a motorcycle at Sir Yahyah memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi, and was about to be lynched by a mob of angry okada riders.
‘On receipt of the information, a team of policemen rushed to the scene and in the process of rescuing the thieves, regrettably, CPL Sa’adu Adamu accidentally shot one Habibu Mohammed, ‘m’, aged 25-years, of Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area.’
He added that the victim has been rushed to Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto State, for treatment while the erring police officer and the suspect have been arrested and detained at the CID department for discreet investigation.
While confirming the victim’s health status to newsmen, the Chief Medical Director of Sir Yahyah Memorial Hospital, Dr Aminu Haliru Bunza, confirmed that the bullet hit the victim in rib and came out from other side of the rib below the abdomen.
‘Unfortunately, he had the bullet wound at the left flank and the exit was at the thoracic of the right hand and a fracture at the femur. Immediately, he was rushed to the theatre and our doctors did very well to stabilise him, stopped the bleeding and put the oxygen, and automatically raised the referral to Sokoto where there is thoracic surgeon where he will undergo surgery.
‘When we sent [out] the report, the Executive Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, came immediately. He saw the patient before the patient left and he gave N500,000 to the relative of the patient to take him to Sokoto for the treatment,’ Dr Bunza stated.
He added that the Governor has doused tensions and appealed to the angry crowd that justice will be done.