Labourer shot dead as policemen, soldier clash in Ebonyi

A labourer was killed and three others injured in a clash between a soldier on a bike and policemen on a ‘stop and search’ duty in Ebonyi State.

The incident, our correspondent gathered, occurred on Wednesday morning in Ugwuachara village in the Ebonyi Local Government Area of the state.

The deceased labourer was hit by a stray bullet when the policemen allegedly tried to disarm the soldier who was on mufti.

The soldier is said to be serving in Operation Kachayanma in Kaduna, but on pass in Ebonyi State.
The Commissioner of Police, Adaku Uche-Anya, confirmed the incident on Wednesday.
She said the policemen were on a stop-and-search patrol and stopped the soldier who was on a motorcycle to search him which caused a scuffle between him and the policemen in the process.

She said, “The soldier was trying to disarm one of the policemen and the bullet went off and hit a bystander who was there. It was not as if the policemen opened fire on bystanders. What happened was that during the scuffle, the bullet went off and hit the bystander.
“One person died and three injured but they are responding to treatment in the hospital.

“We have confirmed the identity of the soldier, he is a soldier serving in Kaduna. Both the soldier and the policemen are in our custody.”