Police Inspector Shoots Colleague Dead After Arresting Cultist, Flees with Service Rifle

A police Inspector known as Jonathan Okouromi, was said to allegedly have shot dead one Sergeant Abosele Akhere, both of the Edo State Police Command.

According to PUNCH Metro, it was gathered that the incident occurred at about 9:00pm on Sunday, in Ikponwosa/Egban community, Egor Local Government Area of Edo State.

Operatives of the Edo State Police Anti-Kidnapping Squad and those of the Control Intelligence Rapid Response Squad had embarked on an operation to apprehend some suspected cultists.

PUNCH correspondent gathered that suspected cultists had been terrorising the said Ikponwosa/Egban community in recent times.

In the course of the operation, a notorious cultist and prime suspect in cult-related activities, who was simply identified as ‘Raggae’ was arrested by Sergeant Abosele Akhere.

“All of a sudden, Inspector Jonathan Okouromi just lifted his gun, pulled the trigger and shot Akhere from the back. Nobody knew what happened or why he did that. He just fired him from behind. The man fell immediately and started bleeding,” a reliable source told PUNCH Metro in a telephone conversation.

According to the source, who preferred not to be mentioned, the shot officer was rushed to the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, where he was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty.

The said Inspector Okouromi was reported to have “escaped with his gun the moment he realised he had shot his junior colleague to death.”

Also, the arrested suspected cultist, Reggae also escaped, while one Agbontaen Monday, a member Of the Eiye confraternity was arrested.

The fleeing Inspector Okouromi is still being searched for by the police in Ugbowo Division, while the body of the slain police sergeant was deposited at the mortuary as further investigation continues, it was learnt.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in Edo State, Chidi Nwabuzor, said he was on holiday.

“I am on holiday. When I get to the office tomorrow, I’ll get the details,” he said in a telephone interview with our correspondent.

PUNCH Metro recalls that a similar incident occurred in Rivers last week when one Inspector Nelson Abuante committed suicide after he mistakenly shot dead a colleague, one Inspector Monday Gbaramana, during an attempt to arrest a suspect in Rivers State.