Aisha Hassan, a widow of 11 years and mother of nine, has accused the Niger State Police Command of killing her 27-year-old son, Sani Khalid, in cold blood.
The tragic incident occurred in the Angwa-Kaje area of Maitumbi, Minna, within the Chanchaga Local Government Area. Aisha and her children were asleep when Khalid stepped outside around 3 a.m. to get fresh air due to the heat.
Shortly after, Aisha heard the sound of a police patrol vehicle followed by gunshots. Alarmed, she instinctively told her children that someone had been shot.
Rushing outside, she found Khalid lying motionless on a bench at a tea vendor’s shop. When she tried to wake him, he fell to the ground—lifeless. Neighbors quickly gathered, and he was rushed to a hospital, where doctors confirmed he had been shot dead.
Recalling the painful moment, Aisha said:
“Sani was like the family’s breadwinner after my husband’s death. He was a footballer and also traded in the market. Now that the police have killed him, they should bring him back to me.”
Eyewitnesses claimed the policeman who fired the shot was visibly drunk. They said he also attempted to shoot the tea vendor but missed.
“The officer staggered out of the patrol van and shot Khalid in the stomach while he was lying on the bench. He then tried to shoot the mai shai (tea vendor), but the man escaped,” said a resident, Ibrahim.
When reporters visited Aisha’s home, she was surrounded by over 50 mourning women, sitting on the floor in grief.
In response, the Niger State Police Command confirmed Khalid’s death but claimed it was due to a stray bullet. Police spokesperson Wasiu Abiodun said officers had responded to a distress call about youths causing unrest.
“The patrol team was attacked with stones. In an attempt to disperse the crowd, one officer fired shots, and a stray bullet allegedly hit Sani Khalid,” Abiodun stated.
He added that an investigation had been launched to identify the officer responsible, but he did not address allegations that the policeman was intoxicated at the time of the shooting.
