Operatives of the Nigerian police force are once again on an extra judicial killing saga after Alex Ogbu, the activist/journalist covering the Shiites march in Abuja, was allegedly shot dead by a police officer.
Alex – a journalist with Regent Africa Times, a magazine publication based in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital – was covering the Shiite protest at the Berger area of Wuse, Abuja, on Tuesday, January 21, when he was allegedly shot dead by police.
Two other persons sustained gunshot wounds during the protest.
@AbdulMahmud01 tweeted: “#Breaking Terrible news coming out of Abuja. Unconfirmed, but it is believed that activist-journalist, Alex Ogbu, covering the Shiites march at Berger Abuja, was shot and killed this morning by @policeng. I knew Alex. Sad news. Sad day!”
@dejikolawole1: “Confirmed! Comrade Alex Ogbu was killed by the police yesterday evening.”
On Tuesday, spokesperson for the FCT Police, Anjuguri Manzal, in a statement confirmed that the protest recorded one casualty but didn’t reveal the identity of the victim to journalists.
The statement read, “As a result of the unfortunate incident, one person who sustained an injury and was rushed to the hospital for medical attention has been certified dead by medical doctors on duty.
“Meanwhile, the FCT Commissioner of Police FCT, Bala Ciroma, has ordered a full-scale investigation into the unfortunate incident.”
The identity of the victim was soon discovered and people, including colleagues of the deceased, are now seeking justice. They’ve accused the FCT police authorities of attempting to change the circumstances surrounding the death of the journalist by claiming that Ogbu hit his head on a stone while running during the protest and died in the process.
