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The Rivers State Police on Friday said it had launched an investigation into the death of a member of a vigilance group in the Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state, which it described as a case of suicide.
The deceased, identified only as Elemchukwu, died after his locally-made pistol fell and exploded in Ubima community.
The group, codenamed OSPAC, is one of the popular local security outfits in some local government areas of the state.
Its Vice Chairman in Ubima, Amadi Goodluck, who confirmed the incident, said Elemchukwu died as a result of an accidental discharge.
Goodluck, however, denied reports that members of the vigilance group were involved in a shootout that led to the death of Elemchukwu.
He said, “Yesterday, around after 8am, I was in the office when I received a call that Elem had shot himself dead. When we got there, we found him dead. I asked people around there what happened to our boy. They showed me the shop where he came to buy something.
“Then he left and turned on his motorcycle. He was holding a gun. In the process of turning on the bike, the gun fell, hitting its head on the ground. The gun exploded and touched him on his head. That was what led to his death. There was nothing like a shootout or any problem.”
The acting spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, confirmed the incident, saying it was a suicide case.
“Yes, we are aware. It is a suicide case and we are investigating the incident to find out what really happened,” she said.
