The police in Abia State, southeast Nigeria, are investigating an incident where it was reported that some police operatives mistakenly exchanged gunfire, believing each other to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB)......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The confusion occurred on Wednesday in the Alaoji Area of Aba, a key commercial hub in the state, when two police patrol teams allegedly opened fire on one another.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, the shootout involved a patrol team from the Aba Police Area Command and another team from Umuahia, the state capital.
Eyewitnesses suggested that the operatives may have mistaken each other for IPOB members, as the team from Umuahia was using commercial buses, leading their colleagues from Aba to suspect they were separatists.
During the exchange, shop owners and passersby near the Alaoji Motor Spare Parts Market reportedly fled to avoid being hit by stray bullets. Tragically, a truck driver was killed in the crossfire.
After realizing they were all police officers, an altercation reportedly ensued between the teams.
Reacting to the incident, the state police spokesperson, Maureen Chinaka, issued a statement on Thursday, confirming that the incident is under investigation.
“From our preliminary investigation, there is no credible evidence to suggest that police officers mistook each other for members of IPOB and fired at each other,” said Ms. Chinaka, an assistant superintendent of police. She confirmed that a civilian was killed in the shooting and urged anyone with relevant information to come forward to assist the ongoing investigation.
IPOB, which has been linked to several violent incidents in the southeast and parts of the south-south regions, is a group agitating for the independence of Biafra from Nigeria.