29 Jul 2010

Drivers turn on cop who shot colleague

Akonwonjo, Nigeria
There was pandemonium in the Akonwonjo area of Lagos State following the murder of a bus driver. Mr. Kareem, in his late 20s, was allegedly shot dead about 3.15pm on Tuesday by a trigger-happy policeman, for refusing to pay a bribe of 50 Naira (about 20p).
Other commercial buses and tricycles were giving the policemen the bribe each time they passed by. Mr. Kazeem was said to have complained about the endless extortion by the policemen and when he was stopped he refused to pay the money.
As he was driving off with the passengers in his bus, the policeman was said to have corked his gun and shot him. The bullet hit him on the head and he died instantly.
The shooting led to a protest in the area. Bus drivers and residents took to the streets and attacked the police patrol van. The police took to their heels, but the officer who allegedly shot the driver was apprehended by the crowd.
They dragged him on the ground and used broken bottles and a machete on him. He was later rescued by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS). The crowd, however, were not deterred by their presence as they went wild, destroying everything belonging to the police, while others chased any policeman they saw.
A similar incident happened barely two weeks ago at Ishashi, when a policeman allegedly shot dead a commercial motorcycle rider over his refusal to give the policeman a bribe of N20. The commercial motorcycle riders in the area took to the streets and protested the death of their colleague.

For more details, see the link below. The comments thread is fascinating.
http://234next.com

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