father of two, killed by police in kano

The Kano State Police Command has confirmed the death of a man who was shot dead in the state.

Reports had made the rounds that the deceased, Ugochukwu Augustine, was allegedly shot dead by a policeman in Kano.

DAILY POST reports that Augustine, a father of two, was shot by an officer of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS, on Wednesday during a stop and search by the operatives.

They were said to have received a tip off of drug dealers and were mandated to stop and search anyone coming out of the Sabon Gari market.

However, when Augustine was stopped by the operatives, he declined.

This made one of the operatives, whose name was not ascertained as at press time, to fire a shot at him. He was rushed to the hospital where he gave up the ghost.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Musa Magaji, confirmed the report to DAILY POST on Friday saying the command has detained all the operatives on duty at the area the incident happened.

Speaking with our reporter on phone, the PPRO said, “It is true. It happened two days ago in the afternoon along France Road, Sabon Gari, around the popular market.

“There is a particular area in the market where people indulge in the use and sale of hard drugs. We have arrested many of them including drug barons with cocaine and other drugs. So whenever we get tip off, we do a stop and search any one coming out of the market.

“SARS operatives who were deployed to the area got a tip off and they conducted a stop and search.

“The deceased, Ugochukwu Augustine, was stopped but he refused. The SARS operatives then chased him and one off the operatives in the process used his firearm and shot at him.

“The bullet met him on his hip bone, he fell down. So operatives took him to the Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, Kano and eventually he died.

“As soon as the information reached the Kano State Police Commissioner, CP, Rabi’u Yusuf, he directed that the team leader and his men be arrested and investigated.

“He quickly summoned a meeting with the Igbo elders’ community as well as drug sellers in Sabon Gari market. He assured them that justice will be done.”

The PPRO added that at the moment, the team leader and his men are all in detention at the Police Criminal Investigation Department, CID, and full investigation has commenced.

Speaking further, he said, “The firearms given to the policemen are not meant to kill innocent people. It is for protection of lives. The CP will not condone any happy-trigger policeman who uses the firearm against any innocent person.

“The reports from the investigation would be made public on completion,” the PPRO told DAILY POST.