A resident of the Kubwa area in the Bwari Local Council of Abuja, identified as Onyebuchi Anele, was reportedly shot in the face with a tear gas canister by a police officer.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, May 22.
An eyewitness told Leadership Newspaper that Anele was on his way home from work when the incident happened.
According to the eyewitness, Anele had collided with an okada rider and his passenger.
After stopping to ensure the accident victims were okay, he decided to head home in the Haj Estate when policemen arrived at the scene.
The eyewitness explained that trouble began when the policemen insisted that Anele accompany them to their station, even though the okada rider and his passenger had already left.
This disagreement escalated into a quarrel, resulting in one of the policemen firing a tear gas canister directly into Anele’s face at close range.
Widely circulated pictures and videos showed Anele bleeding from his face with a metallic object embedded in it.
However, the Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, SP Josephine Adeh, stated on Friday that the shooting was an “accidental discharge.”
Adeh confirmed that the tragic incident occurred in the Byazhin community in Kubwa, Abuja, on Wednesday at about 9:45 pm. She also mentioned that the Commissioner of Police for the FCT, Benneth Igweh, has ordered an investigation into the incident.
Anele was initially taken to the Kubwa General Hospital and later referred to the National Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries around 8 am on Thursday.
