An Inspector in the Nigerian Police, Amechi Okolie, has met an untimely death as his 10-year-old son accidentally shoots him dead in Awka, Anambra State.
The police command in the state said Okolie was on duty when the incident happened, saying the boy killed the father with an AK-47 rifle.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, said in a statement on Monday in Awka that the killing occurred by an accidental discharge of the weapon.
Ikenga explained that Okolie was fatally shot by his son accidentally while the Inspector was on duty at a bank in Awka, the state capital.
Although Ikenga did not state what the boy was doing with the father while on duty, he noted: “The incident occurred about 9:40 p.m. on Sunday, June 15, while the officer was on duty at the bank, located along Zik Avenue by Okeke Street in Awka, when his sons paid him a visit at work.”
He said the 10-year-old son, (names withheld), was allegedly playing with the weapon and had no idea it operated when he pulled the trigger from behind his father and fatally hit him in the spine.
Ikenga said the bullet also struck his youngest brother, Emmanuel, aged 6, who was injured in the back and right hand.
He said that the victims were immediately taken to Amaku Specialist Teaching Hospital, Awka, where Emmanuel is currently responding to treatment.
“Sadly, the officer was pronounced dead on arrival,” he said.
The police spokesman said that the weapon had been retrieved and secured while the case had been brought before the Central Police Station (CPS) in Awka for investigation.
Meanwhile, the command said it had condoled with the family of late Okolie over the tragic incident and wished the second victim quick recovery.
