Enugu man shot dead by ‘security agents’

The Police in Enugu State, on Wednesday, confirmed the killing of a young man in the state by security operatives.

The man, identified as Smith Odinaka, was shot dead on Sunday, 13 October, around 1 a.m. along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, Enugu.

Several X users, who posted the photo of Mr Odinaka’s corpse on the microblogging platform, accused the police in Enugu of killing him.

The police, in a statement on Wednesday, denied the accusation but, admitted that the victim was killed by “security agents.”

“Preliminary findings indicate that the victim was driving a Mercedes Benz car in the company of two of his male friends when a gunshot, allegedly fired by individuals suspected to be security agents, struck the vehicle. Smith Odinaka sustained a gunshot wound to his left hip.

“He was rushed to the hospital but was later pronounced dead by the attending doctor, and his body deposited in the mortuary, pending an autopsy,” Daniel Ndukwe, the police spokesperson in Enugu State, said in the statement.

He said the investigation has so far not linked the crime to any police officer or police team.

Mr Ndukwe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the Commissioner of Police in Enugu, Kanayo Uzuegbu, has directed the deputy commissioner of police, State CID, to investigate the killing.

“CP Uzuegbu has assured the public that all necessary efforts will be made to identify and apprehend the perpetrators and to ensure that justice is served,” he said.

The police spokesperson promised to make the police findings public when it is available.