Trigger-happy operatives of the Department of State Security (DSS) on Sunday opened fire on a police convoy, critically injuring a policeman.
The attack happened on the Kabba-Okene highway and involved DSS operatives returning from weekend’s governorship election in Osun State.
Incidentally, the shot policeman was also returning to Abuja after providing security for the same election.
He was reportedly shot in the chest and arm.
DSS sources told Pointblanknews.com that their operatives had mistaken the police convoy which attempted to overtake theirs for hoodlums and opened fire.
“When we realised we had hit a police convoy, we fled for fear of a deadly retaliation from the police. Unfortunately, a police squadron arrested us in Lokoja where we promptly handed over the attacker,” offered the source.
“We hear the police is planning to arraign our officer for murder should the policeman die. We also heard that our DG (Director-General) has offered to fly the injured policeman to Europe if need be,” he added.
Another DSS officer however told Pointblanknews.com that the detained officer may have acted under the influence of alcohol. He said his colleagues had cautioned the officer against opening fire on the police convoy, but that he brushed aside the advice.
“He wouldn’t listen. And this is the first time an officer will be involved in such a mess with the police. The question is why our men failed to stop. Perhaps they could also have shot at innocent civilians and fled. This bad,” a DSS official said.
Residents of Osogbo, capital of Osun State had days before the election raised the alarm on the presence of masked DSS men who reportedly shot sporadically into the air, panicking residents of the city.