By Jake Aimuan
Ebonyi State Police Command on Wednesday confirmed the accidental shooting of a policeman by his colleague in front of the old Ebonyi Government House, Abakaliki.
The state Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba, confirmed the incident in a telephone chat, a News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) report said.
The commissioner, however, debunked rumour that the officer shot had died as was alive and “responding to treatment in a hospital” in Abakaliki.
“The injured officer did not die as a result of the incident”, Garba said, noting that the situation was under control.
Sources who pleaded anonymity told NAN that both officers involved in the incident were on duty at the entrance of the old government house, Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital.
“The officer, who accidentally shot his colleague, was reported to be servicing his gun but accidentally released bullets from its chambers which hit the victim.
“The officer was immediately demobilised by other officers and taken to the command while the wounded officer was immediately attended to.
“The victim was eventually evacuated to a hospital in a government house clinic’s ambulance,” NAN reported a source as saying.
Nevertheless, Mr Francis Nwaze, the Special Assistant to the Ebonyi Governor on Media and Publicity, in a statement, urged the citizens not to panic over the incident.
“We urge the public to disregard fake news which can cause panic, and also realise that such are actionable,” he said.
