Police Deny Killing Teenager While Dispersing Protesters In Abuja

Bennett Igweh, the Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, has said his men were not responsible for the death of a teenager in the Kubwa area of the FCT.

In a viral video, a man claimed that police, while dispersing protesters, shot dead a teenager in the Kubwa area.

However, the FCT command spokesperson , Josephine Adeh, in a statement on Saturday said police officers deployed to the area were not given lethal arms that could kill.

She said, “In response to the video footage making the rounds alleging the killing of a yet-to-be-identified teenager by police operatives in Kubwa by Zenith Bank while protesting on August 3, 2024, the FCT police command hereby debunks the allegations, stating that its operatives are not responsible for the killing of the teenager, as the operatives deployed to the axis were not issued lethal arms but only with anti-riot equipment not capable of occasioning the death of the teenager.”

Angered by the incident, she said the CP ordered an investigation into the matter to establish the cause of the teenager’s death.

Adeh said, “In light of the rather infuriated incident, the commissioner of police has ordered that an immediate investigation be conducted to ascertain the remote cause of death of the deceased, calling on well-meaning residents to provide the command with necessary information to aid the investigation.

“While expressing profound condolences to the family of the bereaved, he assures the family and public of swift justice, as effort is ongoing to apprehend the perpetrators of the unfortunate incident.

“Also, the command is aware of the antics of mischief makers who may want to exploit the current situation in the country to spread false information with the aim at misleading and causing apprehension in the populace; it therefore calls on residents to shun such misinformation, as the command is committed to ensuring the security and safety of all and sundry.”