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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
A trigger-happy police officer attached to the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC), Benin office, is reported to have shot a 400 level student of the University of Benin at gate of the oil firm.
Juliana Martins, of the Department of Mass Communications, and a participant of an ongoing workshop of the Petroleum Industrial Act (PIA), an event organised by the NPDC, was reportedly shot on her leg by the police officer.
Addressing the media at the premises of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Benin, the spokesperson for the Niger Delta Student’s Union Government and Coordinator of the PIA workshop, Emieye Romeo, said they were at the NPDC gate to register their grievance before the management on how they were treated by the company.
He said they were at the company’s gate the previous day but were told to come back the next day.
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The students had earlier taken their protest to the company, saying that certain agreements reached, such as transportation and a cash incentives for about 50 persons, were not fulfilled, complaining that all they received were empty bags.
The coordinator of the group said that while they were at the gate demonstrating peacefully, one DSP Emmanuel attached to the company started shooting sporadically, despite warnings from his superior, and in the process Juliana was shot on her leg. The student was subsequently taken to the hospital for medical attention.
Romeo called on the State Commissioner of Police to sanction the police officer responsible for the shooting.
When reached for comment, police spokesman SP Bello Kontong said he was was yet to be briefed about the incident.
