Navy officer allegedly shoots man dead for ‘refusing to part with bribe’ at checkpoint in Abia

A Navy officer attached to Umuikaa Naval base in Ngwa, Abia State has allegedly killed a man identified as Eziyi Uchendu over his “refusal to part with a bribe” at a checkpoint around Owerri NTA Junction, along Aba– Umuahia Road on Friday, April 1.

According to SaharaReporters, a witness said some officials of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) who were with the soldiers at the checkpoint stopped Uchendu and made their request known but he failed to comply, insisting that his documents were complete.

The witness said that the refusal of the deceased to pay the bribe led to a heated argument between him and the FRSC and Naval officers.

The argument later led to the shooting of the driver at close range by one of the soldiers.

Residents of the area were said to have escalated the situation into a protest which the police mobilised to the area found difficult to control.

“The road safety officers working with the soldiers flagged him down and he complied. They demanded money from him and he refused, insisting that all his papers were intact. It later degenerated into a lot of arguments and one of the soldiers shot him.

“He was coming from Aba towards Umuahia Road, at that Owerri NTA junction. After he was shot, people around started rioting, the officer who shot him said he wanted to shoot his tyre.”

The State Police Spokesman, Geoffrey Ogbonna, could not be reached for comments as at the time of filling this report.