Police in Ekpoma, Esan West Local Government Area of Edo state has reportedly shot dead an 18-year-old boy, identified as Chinedu Abimbor.
The unfortunate incident occurred on Wednesday, 12 March 2025, at a police checkpoint in the town.
TREND REPORTERS learnt that the development sparked protests by youths and the deceased’s family, who demanded justice for the slain 18-year-old boy.
Speaking on the incident, an eyewitness, who did not want to be named, disclosed that the victim, who was driving a Mercedes-Benz, refused to stop at a police checkpoint when flagged down by operatives.
He further stated that the young man’s refusal to stop angered one of the operatives, who fired at the vehicle, killing the victim in the process.
The eyewitness also disclosed 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.
Meanwhile, the Edo State Police Command has ordered a full-scale investigation into the incident to ascertain what actually happened.
In a statement issued to journalists on Friday, 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.
Yamu explained that the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Betty Otimenyin, had directed the immediate withdrawal of the three patrol teams implicated in the incident from operations.
The police spokesperson added that the Commissioner commiserated with the family the deceased and called for calm from the general public, with the assurance that justice will be served in the end.
