A policeman has allegedly killed an Okadaman, Bitrus Chukwudi Ugwuanyi in Ugwu Ekposhi area of Enugu State, for his inability to pay N50.


The 38-year-old man was carrying a pregnant woman from Obollo Afor, when he was arrested by policemen at a checkpoint at Ugwu Ekposhi and asked to pay N50. He reportedly said he had nothing on him, as he was on his first trip of the day.

An argument with one of the officers reportedly led to the killing of Ugwuanyi in the presence of his female passenger. It was further alleged that when it dawned on the policeman that his victim was dead, he quickly raised an alarm that the dead man snatched his AK-47 riffle, which led to the arrival of members of the Igboeze North Central Neighbourhood Watch at the scene.

The Neighbourhood Watch members were said to have fired more shots on the dead body, before they paraded the corpse around the town, celebrating that he was killed for allegedly "snatching a gun from a policeman."

Trouble began when Ugwuanyi’s kinsmen protested his murder, saying that he was not known to be of bad character.

State PPRO reacts Enugu State Police Public Relations Officer, Ebere Amaraizu, said that the police would rely on the information that Ugwuanyi was killed in the course of trying to retrieve the AK-47 riffle until the contrary was proved.