CROSS RIVER, CALABAR – A police officer attached to the Atakpa Division in Calabar, Cross River State, opened fire on Sunday morning, killing one person and critically injuring two others before being subdued.
Eyewitnesses said the officer, whose identity was yet to be confirmed, had been displaying signs of mental instability at the station before the shooting began.
“He was lying outside the station with his firearm, acting strangely. His colleagues were too afraid to approach him,” a witness recounted. “Suddenly, he stood up and started firing into the air.”
As panic set in, several officers reportedly fled the station, some scaling the fence into the nearby Yoruba Line section of Watt Market.
The situation escalated when the officer moved toward the road and fired indiscriminately, hitting three civilians.
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A resident of Garden Street, near the police station, suggested the officer may have been under the influence of drugs.
“He took colos (a street term for a psychoactive substance). That’s what made him act that way,” the resident alleged.
When our correspondent arrived at the scene, police had cordoned off the area, redirecting traffic and pedestrians.
Police spokesperson SP Irene Ugbo confirmed the incident, stating that the officer, an inspector, had returned from duty before his sudden violent outburst.
“We don’t know what triggered his behavior,” Ugbo said. “He started shooting sporadically, warning people not to come near him.
In the process, three people were hit. Unfortunately, one woman has died, and the other two victims are in critical condition at the hospital.”
She added that the officer had been arrested and was in police custody.
Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident.