A police officer was murdered on Thursday, October 8 in the ongoing #EndSars protest in Ughelli, Delta state.
The police Corporal, simply identified as Stanley, attached to the Ughelli Police Area Command, Ughelli, Delta State, was on Thursday shot dead by suspected hoodlums, who hijacked the #EndSARS protest, which began peacefully in the town.
The deceased was reportedly shot by one of the protesters at Otuvwodo area of the town.
Sources said that the incident also caused gridlock and the destruction of several vehicles as commuters on the East-West Road area of Otovwodo junction ran helter-skelter following gunshots that followed the melee.
Security operatives had to fire warning shots before taking the corpse of to the policeman to the station.
Hundreds of youths had earlier taken to major streets of Ughelli in a solidarity protest; to call for the scrapping of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force.
It was gathered that some of the protesters met a team of policemen at Otovwodo junction, where the protest walk was supposed to end; and a clash ensued leading to sporadic gunfire between them and also the police.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, one of their leaders, who gave his name simply as Ochuko; said they organised the march in solidarity with other protesters; as well as victims of SARS brutality across the country.
Efforts by one of our correspondents to confirm the incident from the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Onome Onovwakpoyeya, were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.
In Lagos, hundreds of residents, including celebrities, Folarin Falana, aka Falz; and Douglas Agu, aka, Runtown; took to the street on Thursday to demand the scrapping of SARS. In other parts of the country also, like Owerri, Nigerians came out in their numbers to protest the same situation.
