A joyous moment turned to a mournful one on Sunday in Anara, Isiala Mbano Local Government Area, Imo State when two policemen allegedly shot two persons during a traditional wedding.
The development had made the guests to abandon the ceremony and run for their lives.
The yet-to-be-identified policemen were said to have escorted two prominent persons to the event.
The trigger-happy policemen — who were said not to have got the approval of the state Commissioner of Police to be at the occasion in the first place — were said to have been whisked away by members of the bride’s family, who prevented a mob from attacking them.
An eyewitness, simply identified as Ugo, had narrated that the cops first shot into the air before mistakenly firing at guests.
He said, “The policemen were shooting into the air to impress their bosses, who were spraying money at the party.
“One of the cops was using one hand to shoot into the air with his AK-47 rifle. He lost control of the gun and shot in the direction of people.
“Two persons were injured. While one was shot in the hand and waist, the other person’s hand was shattered by bullets. They later became unconscious and were taken to the Emergency Unit of the Imo State University Teaching Hospital, Orlu.”
The victims were identified as Ikechukwu Onwudiwe and Uzochukwu Ogbuhuruzo.
Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Enwerem, said the Commissioner of Police, Chris Ezike, had ordered investigation into the matter.
Enwerem noted that the policemen had come from Ekiti State and run away from the scene after the atmosphere became charged as violent youths attempted to mob them.
