A police officer attached to the enforcement team of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board has reportedly died after he was shot in the market on Wednesday.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident happened on Wednesday morning at the Terminus Market in Jos North Local Government Area where security agents and task force officials had been battling to clear the area of street trading in the past weeks.
Some traders at the market who confirmed the shooting and death of the police officer to PUNCH Metro in Jos on Wednesday, however, gave different versions of what led to the tragic event.
One of the traders who gave her name as Amina Mohammed said, “There was tension and confusion at the Terminus Market and Ahmadu Bello Way behind Zenith Bank in Jos North this morning at about 11: 30 am on Wednesday.
“From what I gathered, some of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board task force officials and security agencies came this morning to carry out enforcement of the state law banning street hawking.
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“You know they have been facing resistance from some of the traders.
“So, in an attempt to maintain law and order, a Mobile Police officer fired a shot and the stray bullet hit his colleague on duty, creating panic in the process. I learnt that although the victim was taken to the hospital, he later died.”
Another trader, who simply gave his name as Haruna, blamed the death of the cop on the hoodlums whom he said had vowed not to vacate the area despite the enforcement drive.
“Many of the hoodlums were lurking around this morning. And suddenly, we heard a gunshot when the security agents were trying to disperse some traders who had started displaying their wares on the roadside against the instruction of the task force officials. Unfortunately, the bullet hit one of the policemen who I learnt later died after he was rushed to the hospital”, Haruna said.
The spokesman for the Plateau State Police Command, Alabo Alfred, when contacted, said an investigation had begun to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“Yes, we are aware of the incident at the Terminus Market. Right now, we are in the office of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board over the matter. So, we are investigating it,” he said.
