By Anne Osemekeh, Abuja
A policeman has been killed and five others injured after a violent clash broke out between security operatives and commercial traders in Jos, Plateau State.
Spokesman of the State Police Command, DSP Alfred Alabo, who confirmed the death of the police officer in the incident which took place on Wednesday, said the policeman was shot by an unidentified man from the crowd.
TheFact Daily reports that a joint task force of the Jos Metropolitan Development Board (JMDB) and security agencies were out to enforce a ban, enacted through Executive Order Number 3, to ensure free-flowing traffic by prohibiting the indiscriminate display of wares and goods in the business area.
However, traders resisted the enforcement, leading to a confrontation with officials and security personnel. Tear gas was deployed to disperse the traders and hoodlums, resulting in chaos that led to the death of a policeman and injuries to five others.
An eyewitness, Ibrahim Garuba, said that in the process of trying to disperse the crowd, the security men shot into the air, and a stray bullet hit one of the policemen, who died instantly, while five of the traders sustained fatal injuries.
DSP Alabo however, denied the information that the police officer was shot by one of his colleagues, adding that the gunshot came from the crowd and that he was certified dead at the Plateau State Specialist Hospital.
The spokesman further added that the command has commenced an investigation into the incident to bring the culprit to justice.
Meanwhile, normalcy has been restored to the troubled part of the city centre while security men are still combing the area to fish out those behind the attack on the officials of the JMDB and security agencies.
