An engine oil seller, Ibrahim Mohammed Dada, has been hospitalised after he was allegedly hit by a bullet during a police operation to disperse protesters in Minna, Niger State.
Dada was reportedly injured at Tunga Market on Thursday as security operatives moved to disperse protesters demonstrating over the deaths of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
According to his elder brother, Yakubu Dada Mohammed, Ibrahim was not participating in the protest but was standing in front of his kiosk when a police officer allegedly fired in his direction.
The victim was subsequently taken to Minna General Hospital, where he was receiving treatment. His brother called for an investigation into the incident and urged authorities to hold anyone found responsible accountable.
The shooting occurred amid heightened tension in Minna following the deaths of the 37 suspected miners, who were among 65 people arrested during NSCDC enforcement operations on September 15 and 16.
The circumstances surrounding the deaths remain under investigation. While the NSCDC initially attributed the deaths to a suspected disease outbreak, survivors alleged that overcrowding and poor ventilation in the detention facility may have contributed to the deaths.
The protests over the deaths continued into Friday, with police using tear gas to disperse demonstrators. The Niger State Government subsequently imposed a 12-hour curfew in Minna following violence linked to the protests.
Niger State Police spokesperson, SP Wasiu Abiodun, called for calm and said the reported shooting of the vendor would be investigated. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has ordered a full investigation into the miners’ deaths, while the state NSCDC commandant was suspended to allow for a transparent inquiry.
The Nigeria Police Force has also secured the scene of the miners’ deaths to preserve evidence as investigations continue.
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