There were indications on Tuesday that the police had arrested one Uche, a Point of Sale terminal operator, who allegedly invited members of a local vigilante group, who shot dead a 22-year-old painter in Umuebele, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Saturday.
The state police command also said it had commenced investigation to unravel the details of the incident and take appropriate actions.
It had earlier been reported that the deceased, Chinemerem Orji, went to the PoS operator to withdraw money sent to him by a friend and discovered that one of the notes was a counterfeit.
The deceased’s sister, Kelechi, who narrated the incident to newsmen on Monday, had said when Chinemerem went back to the PoS operator and asked him to change the counterfeit note, he allegedly refused and instead invited members of a vigilante group, the Oyigbo Security Peace Advisory Committee.
According to her, in the process of dragging her brother to their office, one of the OSPAC men brought out a dagger and stabbed Chinemerem in his hands and body, while another shot him in the back.
The spokesman for the state police command, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident on Tuesday, saying, “It happened in Umuebele, Etche LGA. I have asked the family to come and see me tomorrow (Wednesday). The matter has been transferred to the SCID and we are investigating it.”
