I did not shoot my neighbour’s 17-year-old son to death – Ex-police officer tells court

A former police officer, Insp Haruna Ocheni, told an FCT High Court in Kubwa that he did not shoot his neighbour’s 17-year-old son to death.

The police charged Ocheni with culpable homicide.

Led by his counsel, Mr Gabriel Salifu, the defendant said that he was attached to the Police Surveillance Squad Galadima, FCT Command when the incident happened in 2020.

”My neighbour Gabriel Chimezie called me on March 24, 2020 at 5:23 a.m, and asked me to see him at home over a domestic issue.”

”He told me that his son stole his 555KVA generator and I asked the boy to take me to the person who bought the generator.”

”On our way, the boy dipped his hands in the middle of a 6-inch building block and removed a sharp cutlass, slashed me on the head and I fell down.”

”The 17-year-old boy snatched my AK47 from me and fired it. I held on to the gun nuzzle and we struggled over the gun,” Ocheni said.

He added that the Investigating Police Officer, Felix Peter did not produce the cutlass the boy used on him as an exhibit in court because he said it was irrelevant.

During cross-examination, the Prosecution Counsel, Adama Musa asked the defendant if his attempt to recover the generator was from a personal or official capacity.

Musa asked if the defendant was conversant with the use of firearm, having worked for 32 years in the police and if it must be loaded and ”cocked” before a shot is fired.

Ocheni answered:” I know how to operate a firearm and I did not visit my neighbour on official duty but because he called him”.

Musa further said the essence of a safety cartridge in a firearm is to regulate when a bullet is fired and if the safety catch was closed it cannot fire a shot.

”On every AK47 rifle, the operator is at will to fire a shot at interval or rapidly at a single touch, what part of the deceased body was shot by a bullet?”, Adama asked.

He also asked if the defendant had a medical report to show that he was injured on the day of the incident.

The defendant in response said he did not know where the deceased was shot because he did not shoot him adding that the evidence of his injury was with the Kubwa Police Station.

Justice Kezziah Ogbonnaya adjourned the case until March 10 for continuation of defence.

Our correspondent reports that the police alleged that the defendant shot the 17-year-old boy to death in his father’s house, in March 2020.