Rivers State angry youths have taken to the streets to protest the death of a musician, identified as Daniel Chibuike, also known as Sleek, who was shot dead by a policeman in the Elelenwo area of Port Harcourt, the state Capital.
Newsnaija learned that the Musician and his friend, identified simply as Reuben, were waiting outside a hotel for the driver of a car to convey them to a destination in the state when they suddenly sighted men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad advancing in their direction.
It was gathered that Out of fear of being arrested, Daniel and Reuben took ran but in a bid to apprehend them, the SARS operatives labeled the duo as thieves.
It was learned that the duo while fleeing from the policemen, reportedly passed through De Topic Supermarket, where a riot policeman allegedly shot the 20-year-old musician.
The bullet penetrated Daniel’s body and he fell to the ground close to the supermarket and was in a pool of his own blood.
Footage of the tragic incident posted on Twitter by one Wisdom Echefula showed a man suspected to be Daniel lying unconsciously on the road as some armed policemen were also seen dragging another man suspected to be Reuben at the scene of the incident.
Echefula, through his Twitter handle, @WEchefula, also attached a note that showed the circumstances surrounding Daniel’s death.
The post read in part, “sleek and his friend Reuben came out from the hotel dey lodged to wait for their bolt man then suddenly sars men came and started chasing them and they ran into a market and passed to the junction(de young junction) the sars men began shouting thief they ran pass a supermarket and that supermarket and that supermarket also got men then they shot sleek till he died.”
Another post on Instablog9ja claimed that the policemen shunned several pleas by Reuben to rush Daniel to hospital, adding that he was left for dead at the scene of the incident.
The post read in part, “The SARS operatives started screaming and calling them (Daniel and Reuben) thieves, which made the Mopol guarding De Topic Supermarket to fire a direct short Daniel”
“He didn’t instantly, his friend kept begging and pleading with them to rush him to the hospital but they refused and asked him to shut up, they left him to die in the pool of his blood in front of the supermarket.
“They later took sleek and Reuben to Miniokoro police station where they were later transferred Reuben to the state CID, then the commander after hearing what really happened from Reuben asked them to detain all the SARS operatives involved
Footage attached to the Instablog post showed angry youths, including friends of the Daniel, protesting the circumstances surrounding the death of the musician and also called for the end of SARS.
Footage also showed the youth singing solidarity songs during a candlelight procession held in Daniel’s memory.
, Omoni Nnamdi, the state Police Public Relations Officer, when contacted said “SARS operatives were not involved in that matter. It was men of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit responding to a distress call when, unfortunately, a riot policeman from Jigawa State shot and killed the man.
“The riot policeman and the personnel of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit involved in the incident have been detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, where they are being interrogated.”