A policeman, Abraham Arowogun, attached to the Kajola Police Station, Kajola town, in the Odigbo Local Government Area of Ondo State, has committed suicide by jumping into a deep well in the station.
The incident, which occurred on Tuesday, was mysterious to other police officers in the division as well as members of the community. A police source told Punch Metro that Arowogun did not have any history of mental instability.
According to the source, the deceased inspector had first shot dead the Divisional Crime Office, SP Timothy Aruehi, after they had a disagreement over money.
Punch correspondent gathered that Aruehi had received a complaint that Arowogun, while investigating a case, diverted a sum of money to private use.
The source said, "Arowogun was investigating a case and the DCO discovered that a sum of N150,000 was involved. He further discovered that he (Arowogun) had actually converted the money to private use.
"The DCO called and querried him for the action.
"In the course of interrogating him, he stormed out angrily. He returned with a gun which he used to shoot Arowogun dead."
The police source added that after killing the DCO, there was confusion in the station as other officers fled for safety.
"After killing the DCO, he knew that what he did was unprofessional and unpardonable in the police force. He just left the scene and jumped into the well at the back of the station," the source added.
The corpses of the two policemen were said to have been deposited in a mortuary in the Ondo State General Hospital, Ore.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Femi Joseph, confirmed the incident, adding that investigation had commenced.
"It was an unfortunate incident; but we have begun investigation. The command is very saddened and our hearts are heavy. We are doing everything possible to dig further into the matter and talk to our officers and men to avert a recurrence," the PPRO said.
In a related development, the police in Akwa Ibom State on Wednesday shot a resident for allegedly picking stolen money which dropped along Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo.
Punch correspondent gathered that a three-man gang had snatched the money from occupants of a government-owned car .
The gang was reportedly moving the money into a getaway vehicle seized from a female motorist, when some of the cash fell on the road.
A witness, Mr. Joe Inyang, said, "The people who owned the money were in a Toyota Camry with a government number plate, AK 705 C01. They appeared to be coming from one of the new generation banks, where they withdrew the huge amount.
"As their driver was going through Paul Bassey Street, he noticed the robbers, who were in a Toyota Corolla. They were on his trail.
"As he tried to link Brooks Street, he rammed the vehicle into an oncoming Toyota Camry. It was then that the robbers blocked access to the government car.
"At that point, the robbers seized the vehicle and started shooting continously into the air. They shattered the boot and doors of the car with bullets to get access to the money, which was in Ghana-Must-Go bags.
"It was in the process of moving the money into another vehicle they seized from a woman that some residents scrambled for the fallen cash. The man the police shot rushed out of his office to pick the cash which littered the road."
The woman whose car was used as a getaway by the robbers; the man who sustained gunshot injuries; and the driver and other occupants of the government vehicle, were seen by Punch correspondent at the 'A Division' of the state police command on Wednesday.
A resident, who did not want his name in print, told Punch Metro that the robbery could not have occurred without the involvement of people in government or the bank, adding that the money could not be less than N50m.
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