A policeman, whose name has yet to be confirmed, has killed one of his colleagues while firing at peaceful protesters in Katsina State.
According to SaharaReporters, multiple videos showed the deceased man in uniform lying in a pool of blood after being shot by his colleague.
Another account says Nigeria Police Force water cannon truck carelessly rammed into police truck and killed a police officer.
Before Nigeria Police change the story again. This happened in Katsina
“In a shocking display of unprofessionalism, a careless policeman killed his colleague and harmed civilians in Katsina,” tweeted X user A.O. Yusuf, who shared the videos.
Another user, Salako, commented, “This is a very sad and unfortunate scene. It is also evident that the Nigerian Police Force is a major contributor to the violence in the ongoing protests.
“If this video evidence didn’t exist, Ben Hundeyin and Muyiwa would have blamed it on the protesters.
“A national squad of clowns.”
The police have not released an official statement on this incident, and attempts by SaharaReporters to obtain comments from the State Police Spokesman, ASP Sadiq Aliyu, were unsuccessful.
When reached for a response, he did not deny or confirm the incident.
“Let me call you back,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kayode Egbetokun, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), earlier lamented that police officers were killed and injured during the #EndBadGovernance protest on Thursday.
Egbetokun stated, “In light of the current situation, the Nigeria Police Force has placed all units on red alert. Our officers are fully mobilized and prepared to respond swiftly and decisively to maintain public safety and order.”
“Police stations have been destroyed. There have been attempts to take over government houses. In places like FCT, Kaduna, Kano, and Gombe, among others, we have recorded incidents of unprovoked attacks on our security personnel, with one policeman reported murdered and others seriously injured,” he added.
The Katsina state government has also imposed a 24-hour curfew in Dutsinma LGA, as stated in a release from Abdullahi Garba-Faskar, the state secretary.
The statement also banned unusual gatherings and all types of protests across the state.
“The acting governor had earlier received a group of civil society organizations who were conducting a peaceful demonstration at the government house and pledged to deliver their messages to the appropriate authorities,” the statement reads.
“However, the government later received reports that some miscreants had hijacked the protest and unleashed ulterior motives of shopbreaking, looting, and vandalizing public and private properties.
“Therefore, the government deemed it necessary to impose these measures to safeguard the lives and properties of the people in the state.”
Abubakar Sadiq-Aliyu, spokesperson for the state police command, stated, “We wish to dismiss the misinformation that police personnel shot live ammunition at protesters, resulting in loss of life.
“We assure the public that our officers exercised maximum restraint and professionalism in handling the violent protesters.”