Nigerians are outraged over the death of Ifeanyi Okereke, a newspaper vendor killed by a security operative attached to the Speaker of the House Assembly, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Barely a month after the #EndSARS protest that rocked the country over the high-handedness of a no now-disbanded notorious police unit, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), Nigerians are shocked that the police in the country is yet to learn from #EndSARS.
Former minister and World Bank Vice President for Africa, Oby Ezekwesili said that ‘big man’ syndrome in Nigeria is the reason for protests like @EndSARS.
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“That reckless killing of Ifeanyi Okereke, a vendor yesterday, by an overzealous @PoliceNG Details of @femigbaja @HouseNGR Speaker for no reason but the “big man” syndrome is deeply painful. The Speaker’s statement falls short. Let’s hear a rea Justice Plan for Ifeanyi”, she tweeted.
“Ifeanyi Okereke was on his own trying to hustle to take care of his Wife & his 3 weeks old Kid only to be Killed by Femi Gbajabiamila’s Aide for no reason. His offence was living in a country where the Govt/Armed Forces shoot citizens for a Living,” Daddy_Nomso said on Twitter.
“Good morning, Ifeanyi Okereke should have woken up with us this morning, by now he should have been getting ready to go and hustle to feed his wife and newborn baby, but he can’t, he was killed yesterday. He was the newspaper vendor killed by the Speaker’s security aide,” tweeted on Olorogun.
Gbajabiamila admitted that his aide shot Okereke when they were trying to disperse a crowd blocking his convoy in Abuja.
“A horrible incident has taken place. This evening as I left the national assembly, I stopped, as usual, to exchange pleasantries with the newspaper vendors at the corner. Many of them have known me since I first moved to Abuja and it was a friendly exchange.
“Unfortunately, after the convoy set out in continuation of the movement, unidentified men obstructed the convoy which got the attention of security men in the convoy who shot into the air to disperse them.
“Some hours later, after getting to our destination, it was brought to my attention that someone was hit by a stray bullet, contrary to an earlier report by men in the convoy that they applied their security discretion to shoot in the air,” Gbajabiamila said.
