Tragedy struck on Monday in Owerri, Imo State, when a middle-aged man, Friday Nduka, was allegedly shot dead by a police inspector, Mike Edem, attached to the NNPC filling station located at the Control Post Junction in the state capital.
According to reports, the deceased, who hails from Oguta Local Government Area of the state, had just returned from Malaysia in preparation for his wedding ceremony scheduled for December 28, 2016.
According to an eyewitness, the deceased had driven into the filling station to buy petrol but in the course of the transaction, he had an altercation with one of the pump attendants over his missing iPhone 7 valued at N400,000.
The eyewitness account said that the argument became intense and degenerated into a fight, which left the pump attendant badly injured.
He said that it took the intervention of the manager of the fuel station, Ruth Enemmuo, and the fiancée of the deceased to calm the already tensed situation.
According to the source, as soon as the deceased entered his car to leave the scene, the police inspector, who was still furious about the incident, fired gun shots at the deceased’s vehicle, shattering the windows and doors.
The shot was said to have also hit Nduka, leaving him in a pool of blood.
When the policeman saw that the man had dead, he was said to have quickly escaped from the premises.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Andrew Enwerem, confirmed the incident and described the action of the inspector as very unruly and uncalled for.
Enwerem stated that the inspector general of police had mandated the state Commissioner of Police, Taiwo Lakanu, to make sure that the fleeing inspector was apprehended and justice done.
He commiserated with the family of the deceased over what he described as an unfortunate incident.
However, the manager of the filling station has been arrested for further interrogation.
The concerned pump attendant at the filling station was, however, said to have fled.
Meanwhile, the Imo State Police Command has declared the killer-policeman, Inspector Mike Edem wanted.
