Precious Owolabi, a reporter working with Channels Television, who sustained serious injuries during the clash between members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) and the Nigeria Police Force, has died.
The television station confirmed the death of Owolabi in a statement on Monday.
The 23-year old was a member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) undergoing his primary assignment with the station when he was killed.
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Owolabi was hit by a stray bullet while covering the clash between the IMN members- who are of the Islamic Shi’ite sect- and the police in Abuja on Monday.
He was rushed to the National Hospital, Garki, where he died.
In the same vein, the IMN claimed that 11 of its members were killed by the police during their protest on Monday.
According to a statement issued by Ibrahim Musa, President of the IMN Media Forum, the security agencies evacuated the corpses of its members killed during the protest.
The statement read: “A lot of people have been shot but for now we can only confirm 11 deaths, but several are injured, the figure for now stands at 30. Though we are aware of the fact that the security agencies have been going around taking off those they killed from the streets.
“The police went to the Abuja University Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, and took away about 11 people they shot during the protest.”
The group denied that it shot at the police, insisting that it was operatives of the law enforcement whose stray bullet hit Owolabi.
“We strongly dispute the claim by the police that the protesters shot at them because throughout our processions, we have not been carrying any arms right from 2015.
“It was also the police who shot at the Channels TV reporter, another indication that many innocent people were shot at by the police, including some of their own,” the statement read.
Read Also: Deputy Commissioner Of Police Killed In Shi’ite, Police Clash – Report
Usman Umar, a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in charge of operations at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command, was also killed during the protest.
Confirming the death of Umar, the police in a statement issued by Frank Mba, the Force Public Relations Officer, said it had arrested 54 suspects in connection with the incidents.
The Shi’ites were protesting against the continued detention of its leader, Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, since 2014 by the Federal Government.
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