SARS officer kills fruit seller in Umuahia, Abia State

On Wednesday, a Middle-aged woman in Akpunmiri Ubakala was hit by a stray bullet from the gun of one of the policemen, who were reportedly trailing suspected armed robbers.

A source in the community, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the victim died of the bullet injury she sustained.

Residents of Akpunmiri Ubakala, on Thursday, took to the streets to protest the death of their kinsman, that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad operatives were in the habit of raiding the area to arrest commercial motorcyclists.

The source said, “The victim was a middle-aged woman, who sold fruits by the roadside. She was also the one taking care of her aged mother, who had been sick.

"It is a pity that she died in such a manner due to the recklessness of the policemen. All we want is justice in this matter. We want the state police command to investigate the incident and bring the culprits to justice."

Meanwhile, the Abia State Commissioner of Police, Mr Eneh Okon, has confirmed the alleged killing of one Kasarachi Moses by SARS officers in Ubakala, Umuahia South Local Government Area.

He said, "We got a distress call that armed robbers were operating at Ubakala and the SARS operatives responded to the distress call.

"But on sighting the SARS operatives, the armed robbers, who were five in number and operating in military uniform, started shooting at the policemen. It was during the exchange of gunfire that a stray bullet hit the victim, who later died in hospital.

"One of the suspects dropped his weapon and fled the scene, while the Sienna SUV used by the policemen for the operation had a lot of bullet holes."