by Reuben Daba

A 20-year-old sales girl died on Friday, after a police-fired stray bullet hit her on the chest. This happened in Abuja, during a demolition exercise by the Development Control Department of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA.

The bullet emanated from the gun of one of the police officers attached to the demolition team. It pierced through the wall of a photo shop where the girl, simply identified as Lucy worked as sales girl penetrating straight into her heart.

The demolition was taking place around NEPA junction in Apo, Abuja on Friday, but was being resisted by residents, mostly indigenes, who felt that the government had no right to demolish the area when they were yet to be resettled, and especially as the case is in court.

The argument from the indigenes was that they had an instruction from their leaders not to relocate until the case was sorted in court. To scare and dispel the restive indigenes however, the police fired bullets in the air. It was one of such bullets which strayed and killed the girl.

The Chief Superintendent of Police Operations of the FCT Police Command, Gabriel Inalegwu, confirmed Lucy’s death at the hospital where she was rushed to. He said that the police force has already commenced investigation into the matter.