An 18-year-old boy, identified as Chinedu Abimbor, has reportedly been shot dead by police in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of the state.
The tragic incident occurred on Wednesday, 12 March 2025, at a police checkpoint in the town.
The deceased’s younger brother was, however, said to have been arrested by the police.
The incident sparked protests by youths and the deceased’s family, who demanded justice for the slain teenager and called for the culprit to be brought to book.
An eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victim, who was driving a Mercedes-Benz, refused to stop at a police checkpoint when flagged down by operatives.
He said the young man’s refusal to stop angered one of the operatives, who immediately fired at the vehicle, killing the victim in the process.
He also added that the victim’s brother, who was in the vehicle at the time of the incident, was immediately arrested by the police and taken into custody.
“This development prompted angry youths to take to the streets of Ekpoma on Thursday to demand justice for the slain 18-year-old,” he said.
The protesters, who also stopped at the palace of the traditional ruler of Ekpoma, HRH Anthony Ehizogie Abumere II, demanded the immediate release of the victim’s brother from custody.
A spokesman for the protesters, who identified himself as Lucky Adaba, said, “We went to the police station to inquire about what could have led to the killing, but the police teargassed us and started shooting.
“The police have formed the habit of harassing young men driving cars in Ekpoma.”
Meanwhile, the Edo State Police Command has ordered a full-scale investigation into the incident to ascertain what actually happened.
A statement issued by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Moses Yamu, said the incident involved a joint operation team of security forces and the occupants of an unregistered Mercedes-Benz, resulting in the death of Chinedu Abimbor.
Yamu, who issued the statement to journalists on Friday, explained that the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Command, Betty Otimenyin, had directed the immediate withdrawal of the three patrol teams implicated in the incident from operations.
He said the Commissioner commiserated with the family and friends of the deceased and “called for calm from the general public, with the assurance that justice will be served in the end.”
