I was running when Victor was shot – Accused

Late Emmanuel Victor

Mr. Monday Umeh, one of the policemen standing trial at the State High Court, Nembe Division, Bayelsa State,  over the killing of a student, Emmanuel Victor, has said he was running away from the scene, when the deceased was shot.

Umeh, who is the 3rd accused person in the murder trial of the 20-year-old, told the court that he was unable to say who actually fired the shot that killed Victor, because he was running at the time.

 The accused spoke during a cross-examination by the state’s counsel, Patricia Izeifa, on Friday.

Victor was killed on 16 October 2011, while on his way home from Church with his mother. He was reportedly shot several times by policemen at a checkpoint in Yenagoa, for challenging them over the extortion of motorists.

Umeh said, “I didn’t go close to the deceased. I didn’t see the young man when he was shot.  I was on the run, and I can’t tell who shot him. I didn’t even know he was dead.”

When Izeifa asked the accused if he was trained in the art of self-defence, he answered in the affirmative.

But when the prosecutor asked if running away at that material time was part of self-defence training, Umeh looked blankly at the ceiling in the courtroom before he could utter ‘No.’

Umeh also claimed the day on which Victor died, was his first assignment in Bayelsa State.

“I barely knew the streets of Yenagoa and was depending on the support of my team members,” he said.

Earlier during the cross-examination, Umeh had told the court that on the day Victor was murdered, he had only cocked his gun to frighten the deceased but denied shooting him.

He alleged that on the fateful day, Victor was armed with a pair of scissors and was so ruthless that they (three police officers) armed with an  AK47 rifle, two K2 rifles, as well as a smoke gunner were unable to prevent him from assaulting them.

Umeh told the court that he had joined the Nigeria Police Force in 2000.  “On October 16 2011, Inspector Lucky, Matthew and I, were detailed to stop-and-search duty at the Christ Embassy Church area of the Sani Abacha Expressway.

“About 12.04pm, I was at the Christ Embassy side of the road while Lucky and Matthew were on the other side of the road. Suddenly I saw my team leader (Inspector Lucky) running towards the NNPC mega station. So, I took a better look to see what was happening.

“A young man was chasing him (Inspector Lucky), while Matthew was also running behind the young man in an attempt to stop him. To my surprise, the young man turned and started chasing Matthew with the same scissors. At that point, I ran across the road to help put the situation under control,” Umeh said.

He said Victor was so ruthless that he was struggling with Matthew, who was holding a K2 riffle and inflicted him with severe injuries, while Lucky, who was armed with riot disperser, had fled for safety and was nowhere to be found.

He added, “So, when I got there, I reached for the arm of the young man, but he turned against me and tried to stab me. That was when I cocked my gun and shouted at him to stop, but instead of stopping, he came after me.  I had to run away for safety. It was when I was running that I heard a gunshot.

“While I ran across the road for safety, a patrol van arrived the scene; I explained to them that my colleagues were bleeding. At that point, there was no time for me to verify who fired the shot. I didn’t make any attempt to see if the young man was still breathing at all.”

PUNCH