Police, soldiers prevent irate mob from setting petrol station ablaze as vigilante operative shoots middle-aged man dead in Onitsha

The timely intervention of Rapid Response Squad of the military personnel and policemen today in Onitsha  prevented an irate mob from setting ablaze a petrol filling station after a vigilante operative attached to the filling station shot and killed a middle-aged man for no justifiable reasonable.

The soldiers and policemen, according to eye-witnesses had arrived the filling station known as Ona-Jones Oil and dispersed the mob as they were still mobilizing themselves to set the station ablaze.

The source stated that their prompt arrival was sequel to a  distress call made by the owner of the station.

On arrival, the military personnel and policemen cordoned off the station, dispersed the mob, arrested the vigilante operative and whisked him off to Ogidi Police Division for detention and removed the victim's corpse to a nearby mortuary where it was deposited.

As at the time of filing this report yesterday, a retinue of policemen were still mounting vigilance at the petrol station which was closed for business, as a result of the incident, even as efforts to see the petrol station owner proved abortive.

The relations of the deceased victim were said to have visited the scene to carry the corpse but were told by the policemen that his corpse had already been moved to a nearby mortuary.

According to the source, the victim was said to be having a disagreement of N500 balance from a business transaction with an alleged GSM phone repairer near the filling station when the vigilante operative attached to the station accosted them.

The source hinted that the operative ordered both of them to kneel down and they obeyed but in what could be termed as an accidental discharge, his hands touched the trigger and the bullet went off and caught one of them on his chest and he died instantly which attracted the attention of the mob.

The Divisional Police Officer, DPO at Ogidi, Hassan Musa (CSP) who confirmed the incident yesterday on phone, said the vigilante operative was already in the police custody, adding that he was equally at the to supervise the prevention of the mob action.