by ‘Jola Sotubo

In an attempt to separate two men fighting over a business deal gone wrong, police in Awka, Anambra state have caused varying degrees of injury to no less than 20 innocent passers-by.

The incident reportedly occurred yesterday at around 3:30pm at Dike Park in the Zik Avenue axis of the town.

Eyewitnesses expressed surprise at the actions of the police officers in using tear gas, which is ordinarily a final resort even in quelling riots, to stop fighting between just two persons.

The Eagle Online reports:

The eyewitness said: “I was in my shop with my children and all of a sudden I heard a gunshot and people started scampering for safety.

“After that, I perceived tear gas, apparently shot by the police, and by the time I realised what was happening, my daughter had fainted in the shop.

“I had to take her away to resuscitate her because we could no longer bear the effect of the gas.

“I wonder why the police would use tear gas to arrest a situation of that nature when it is not a riot situation.”

NAN gathered that trouble started when the two persons, a second hand phone seller and his customer, disagreed over the condition of a phone that had been sold and bought.

It was further gathered that the two fighters resorted to the use of dangerous weapons, including bottles, which prompted a standby traffic police officer to call the state police command to quell the situation.

“I think that the phone he bought had a problem and when he wanted to return it, the seller refused to collect it back,” another source said.

The eyewitness said that many people sustained injuries after the release of the tear gas close to the Eke-Awka Market.

“It is an abuse of power by using tear gas in a market place just to separate a fight between two persons,” the eyewitness said.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Emeka Chukwuemeka, said he was not aware of the incident.
Chukwuemeka said: “There are situations that warrant the police to use tear gas.
“This is not one of them.”

He said the state command would conduct an investigation into the incident.