Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
It was a weekend of mishandling of firearms in Ekiti State as two persons were reportedly shot by policemen in Ado-Ekiti on Saturday night, barely 30 hours after a policeman was allegedly shot dead inside a police station in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.
One of the victims was said to have died on the spot while the other is at present on a danger list at the Emergency Unit of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital(EKSUTH), in the capital city.
The incident happened at a hotel located along Ado-Ikere road when a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police allegedly visited the facility.
It was rumoured that the victims were shot by one of the police ordelies of the former police top brass.
It would be recalled that a policeman was allegedly shot and bled to death on Friday inside the Okesa Divisional Police Station during a protest staged by a family of a motorcyclist killed by a driver.
The policeman was said to have been shot when his colleagues were  dispersing the violent protesters out of the police station to avoid unexpected attack.
Recounting the shooting incident inside the hotel, an eyewitness said: “The policemen came into the hotel with one retired police officer. They were up to five in number .
“As they were doing gyration inside the hotel, they were shooting into the air and creating awareness. Two persons were hit by bullets in the process.
“The two policemen themselves conveyed the victims in their Hilux to the hospital, but they took to their heels moment after dumping the victims.”
The police escort Hilux Van, which was believed not to belong to the Ekiti police Command was abandoned since last night by the policemen at the entrance of the EKSUTH emergency unit .
Substantiating further how the two men were allegedly shot, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, Mr Sunday Abutu, said the policeman fingered in the shooting had been arrested and detained at the police headquarters in Ado-Ekiti.
Abutu added that the policemen allegedly responsible for the heinous crime were not from the Ekiti police command.
“We have been able to establish that there was a shooting on Saturday night at one hotel in Ado-Ekiti. Two persons were hit and one had died while the second man is receiving treatment in the hospital.
“The policeman that was responsible had been arrested and now in our custody.
“The Commissioner of Police had ordered a thorough investigation into the shooting and that we have commenced.
“We are not going to hide anything. Though those involved are not from our command, but the incident is within our jurisdiction and we promise that whoever found culpable will be prosecuted accordingly.”
He said the corpse of the deceased had been deposited in the morgue.