Festus Keyamo, the minister of state of labour and productivity, has condemned the killing of a 28-year old man, Joseph Pessu, in Delta State for allegedly violating a lockdown order.
The state government had previously ordered a shutdown of social and economic activities in the state, effective Wednesday, April 1, 2020, in a bid to slow down and contain the spread of coronavirus that is ravaging the country and the rest of the world.
Pessu was allegedly shot and killed by a soldier in Warri, Delta State capital, early on Thursday, April 2 while he was riding his power bike along the Ugbuwangue axis of the NPA Expressway.
A report by The Nation said the deceased was flagged down by a team of security operatives but he refused to stop for proper identification. After a chase by officers, he was shot dead.
In a statement on Thursday, Keyamo, who’s from Delta, condemned the killing as well as other reports of high-handedness by security personnel in the enforcement of the lockdown.
“I unreservedly condemn this barbaric act by men of the armed forces who should exercise restraint when dealing with the civilian populace,” he said.
Keyamo, a human rights activist, said he’ll forward a petition to relevant authorities to thoroughly investigate the incident and bring the offending officer(s) to book.
“In the interim, let us not take the laws into our hands, please. I will also use this medium to sincerely appeal to my brothers and sisters in Delta State to be law-abiding and obey the orders of restrictions imposed by both the Delta State Government and the Federal Government.
“They are lawful orders and they are for our own good,” he appealed.
Delta Gov’t Calls For Immediate Investigation
The Delta State Government has reacted to the death of a young man, Joseph Pessu, allegedly, killed by an unknown soldier, who was said to be enforcing the coronavirus lockdown in the state.
The deceased was shot dead in the early hours of Thursday, April 2, 2020, by the yet-to-be-identified soldier.
In a series of tweets on the state’s official Twitter handle @DSGovernment, on Thursday, April 2, 2020, the government said it has called for an immediate investigation into the alleged killing of the 28-year-old.
BREAKING: The Delta State Government has called for an immediate investigation into the alleged killing of a 28-year old man, Joseph Pessu, in Warri on Thursday.
— Delta State Government (@DSGovernment) April 2, 2020
The tweets read, “The Delta State Government has called for an immediate investigation into the alleged killing of a 28-year old man, Joseph Pessu, in Warri on Thursday.
The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, in a statement in Asaba disclosed that the State Government was worried about the report of the killing of a 28-year old man in Warri by security agencies on patrol.
— Delta State Government (@DSGovernment) April 2, 2020
“The Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, in a statement in Asaba disclosed that the State Government was worried about the report of the killing of a 28-year old man in Warri by security agencies on patrol.
“The state government has sent a delegation to the family of the deceased young man to condole with them over the loss of their son. Military authorities have also been contacted to carry out an immediate and thorough investigation into the killing,” the Commissioner said.
Recall that Nigeria’s deputy president of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege has also condemned the act, describing the incident as extra-judicial killing.
Nigeria has recorded a total of 174 coronavirus cases in 12 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as of April 1, but Delta is not currently affected.
The state’s lockdown order is a precautionary measure, according to the government.
