Mob set bank ablaze after police shot woman dead

Zenith Bank building at Mpape, in Abuja set ablaze by people protesting over the killing of a woman by a policeman attached to the bank on Monday

There was pandemonium at Mpape, a suburb of Abuja yesterday morning when an angry mob set ablaze a commercial bank in the area following an alleged killing of a pregnant woman by a policeman attached to the bank. A witness, Mrs. Iyabo Oye, who owns a restaurant in the area, said the policeman fired at a taxi cab as the driver was trying to make a U-turn in front of the bank. In the process, he shot and killed a woman who was passing by.

 Mrs. Oye added that the gun shot attracted the people of the area to the scene. Irked by the policeman’s conduct, an angry mob forced their way into the bank and set the building on fire.

Another witness, Mallam Nasir, a tea seller, told our reporter that the officer was shooting indiscriminately and in the process shot the woman.

“When he shot the woman, he pretended that nothing happened and the people fought for the lifeless woman. Before the security operatives could be reinforced to the scene, the bank has been touched by the irate mob,” he narrated.

FCT police commissioner, John Haruna, told journalists at the scene of the incident that the situation has been brought under control and promised that the policeman who allegedly shot the woman would be properly investigated and prosecuted according to the law.

He said the force does not condone attacks on innocent citizens by any of its men, adding that the policeman involved in the shooting had been taken into custody and that the case would be referred to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for necessary advice.

Also speaking, the FCT police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, said policemen have been sent to the scene and called on the residents to go about their daily duties.