On Wednesday, business and traffic operations came to a halt at the Igueomo junction along the Benin-Asaba expressway. This disruption occurred as irate youths, believed to be of Northern descent, barricaded the road in protest against the reported shooting death of one of their members by the police.

Daily Post reports that the victim was allegedly hit by a police stray bullet when the officers arrived in the area to arrest some suspected hoodlums.

The yet-to-be-identified victim was said to have been hit by the stray bullet in front of a POS store where he had gone to transfer the sum of ₦4000 to his wife in his home village.

The irate youths, who blocked the ever-busy expressway, also set a bonfire, ensuring that no one had access to either side of the road.

An eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity said the police were in the area to arrest some hoodlums and decided to fire gunshots on the fleeing hoodlums and in the process, a stray bullet hit the victim and died on the spot.

According to him, “Some Benin boys had an issue with the police. Some of the officers stormed the area and in the process of chasing the boys, they fired their guns at the fleeing boys, the bullet hit the victim and he died on the spot.

“This impromptu blockade left commuters stranded, with passengers forced to disembark from buses arriving from both the Asaba and Benin city directions”, he said.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Edo State Police Command, SP Chdi Nwabuzor, said he was not aware of the incident. He asked for more time to find out what transpired.