Human rights activist Omoyele Sowore was on Monday morning shot in the right side of the stomach towards the hip by gun-wielding policemen drafted to the Unity Fountain, Abuja while he was trying to gain entrance into the place.
The activist was said to have been speaking with a detachment of police officers stationed at the public facility when a police man shot at the crowd.
Protesters had converged on the fountain at 8:30am. But the police allegedly denied them entry into the place.
Many people also sustained varying degrees of injury during the incident. Sowore was said to have been rushed to an undisclosed hospital.
Human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, described the action of the police officers as barbaric.
The lawyer said the Buhari’s administration has declared war on the civic space.
He said, “Omoyele Sowore has just been shot by a female police officer at the Unity Fountain in Abuja. He is being taken to the hospital for treatment.
“The officer fired a teargas cannister directly at his right thigh. Sowore was specifically targeted. The criminal officer is said to be CSP Atine. I watched Sowore being shot live on Facebook.
“This is what Nigeria has been turned into under Buhari. They’ve declared war on the Civic Space. The FCT Police Commissioner has fenced the Unity Fountain with iron and cables to prevent protests.
“This is a criminal offence under the Anti-Torture Act of 2017.”
SaharaReporter