Many people sustained gunshot injuries when a policeman attached to the Cross River State Director General of Due Process and Price Intelligence Bureau, lphonsus Ogar Eba, accidentally fired his gun during a rally in Echumofana community, Yala Local Government Area of the state.
The rally was held to mark the official defection of Eba from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress, APC.
Sources told the Nation that about seven persons were injured in the incident which occurred on Saturday, June 5.
“It occurred in the midst of the cheering crowd when Mr. Alphonsus Ogar Eba Esq, the Cross River State Director General of Due Process and Price Intelligence Bureau came to the venue to meet many others at the venue who all joined him to defect from the PDP to the APC,”
Confirming the incident in a statement on Tuesday, June 8, the Director General described it as an ‘unfortunate incident – an accidental discharge”
Eba said he is still in shock over the incident and sympathized with victims and prayed for their quick recovery.
He however, appealed for calm, adding that the victims are responding to treatment.
“I urge our People to stay vigilant because we cannot allow those who always celebrate bad news to destroy our collective will to develop this place,’’ he said.
Eba disclosed that he had visited the victims severally in the hospital and had taken responsibility of all the bills.
He also warned those spreading unnecessary rumors of death and distorting facts to be ashamed of themselves.
The DG also warned those calling hospitals staff to demand for hospital bills to go and solve their problems because he (Eba) has the means by the grace of God to pay the medical bills of the affected persons and to cater for their well-being afterwards.
Eba, who absolved his Orderly of negligence stated that “it was purely a spiritual battle by evil doers but God showed up to put the devil to shame as always.”
He, therefore, appealed “most passionately to families of the victims of the incident to maintain calmness, pull back and allow measures instituted to address our collective pains to play out”
“Let us take back our hitherto peaceful Communities from rumour mongers who do not represent our collective wisdom.” he added.
