Mobile Police officers deployed to the camp of Internally Displaced Persons, IDP located at Daudu, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, have reportedly killed a pregnant woman in the camp.
The pregnant woman, identified simply as Mrs Queen Zoho, was killed during a protest by some youths against the manhandling of an okada rider by mobile policemen.
As of press time, the corpse of the victim was still at the Daudu police station near the camp, while the men were later reportedly rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
It was gathered that the deceased had been staying in the camp since the outbreak of the crisis and was unable to return to her ancestral home as insurgents had taken over the communities.
Sources at the scene of the incident told reporters that policemen had flagged down an okada rider and demanded to see his papers, and he had to go home to get it.
The source added that on arrival with his papers, the policemen still refused to release his motorcycle, which led to altercation between them before the police officers started beating the man with the butt of their guns.
This was said to have attracted onlookers and passers-by, but the police officer, instead, opened fire, killing the pregnant woman instantly and injuring two other men in the process.
Mother of the deceased, Mrs Paulina Zoho, informed said her daughter had gone to look for water when she was told of the police brutality.
She said when the deceased finally returned to the IDP camp, she rushed to the scene to join other protesting refugees against the injustice by the police officers, when she was felled by the bullets of their guns.
“We were staying in Kogi State, but only came home for holidays, when we were caught in the herdsmen attacks on our community, who destroyed all our properties. There is no hope for us to return home as the communities are still under siege,” Mrs Zoho lamented.
The Benue State Commissioner of Police, when contacted, however denied the report of any person being killed at the Camp. He then added that he had directed his PPRO, Moses Yamu, to issue a statement on the issue.
