A police officer attached to Operation Sting has allegedly shot and killed a tricycle rider in the early hours of Thursday at Rukpokwu in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Some tricycle riders who spoke with our correspondent said the police officer had shot the young boy on his chin for refusing to pay the sum of one hundred naira.

The respondents alleged that more people were hit by stray bullets by the police, including two women after angry tricycle riders marched to the Rumuokoro police station.

A tricycle rider, Nelson said, “As I came out this morning I saw a police van belonging to Operation Sting. They started chasing us. Then one of us now ran into them. They wanted to seize his Keke but he begged them that he was just coming out to work. They then told him to bring something, he said he doesn’t have anything. So, he turned and tried to escape but they chased him and caught him. Then they shot him in his chin. He died immediately.

“Before we knew the whole place was crowded and people blocked the road and started burning tires. The policemen ran away but people followed them to the station where shots were fired again and bullet touched some people.

“One woman who was hit by a stray bullet was rushed to the hospital in a wheelbarrow. We don’t know if she’s dead.”

DAILY POST reports that men of the Nigeria Police arrived at Rumuodomaya and Rukpokwu, arrested passers-by and shot sporadically into the air.

A group of angry tricycle riders had earlier blocked some roads in Rumuodomaya and Rukpokwu areas of the state over the death of one of their member, stopping vehicles from moving, leaving workers stranded on the road.

The spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, SP Nnamdi Omoni who confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with DAILY POST appealed to residents of Rukpokwu to avoid taking laws into their hands.

Omoni said the Command will ensure justice is done in the circumstance.

DailyPost