Azare detains officer, probes child’s shooting

Etim Ekpimah

The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has detained an officer and ordered an impartial investigation after a seven-year-old boy was injured during a stop-and-search operation in Uyo.

The incident occurred at about 9:30pm on Friday, 11 September 2026, along Abak Road, when personnel of the Quick Response Squad stopped a vehicle carrying a family.

In a statement issued on Saturday, 12 September, the Command’s Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Timfon John, for the Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State Command, said preliminary information indicated that a smoke pistol was discharged during the encounter.

The bullet allegedly struck the left hand of the seven-year-old boy inside the vehicle.

John said that immediately the incident was reported to the Commissioner of Police, Baba Mohammed Azare, he ordered that the officer allegedly involved, Inspector Monday Okonta, be identified, disarmed and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Uyo.

Azare also personally visited the injured child in hospital, where he met the family and assessed the boy’s condition.

The child, according to the command, is stable and responding to treatment.

The police commissioner expressed concern over the incident and assured the family that the circumstances surrounding the shooting would be thoroughly established.

Azare stressed that although officers must continue to carry out lawful crime-prevention and stop-and-search operations, such duties must be performed with professionalism, restraint and respect for the safety and rights of members of the public.

He said the command would neither shield nor tolerate misconduct, recklessness or abuse of authority by its personnel.

John said the command would take appropriate disciplinary and legal action if the investigation established misconduct or culpability, in line with police regulations and extant laws.

The commissioner appealed to the family and members of the public to remain calm while the investigation runs its course, assuring them that the process would be transparent, professional and fair.

He also urged residents to cooperate with officers at lawful checkpoints and stop-and-search points, while assuring them that genuine complaints against police personnel would receive prompt attention.

The command reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives and property, upholding the rule of law and maintaining professional and accountable policing in Akwa Ibom State.