Calabar in Cross River State was in a state of pandemonium, on Sunday morning when a police officer suspected to be mentally unstable went on a shooting spree, killing three people.
The tragic incident occurred at the Atakpaa Division police station, near the ever busy Watt Market.
It was learnt that an officer had been displaying signs of mental distress, but his colleagues hesitated to confront him.
According to information, he suddenly began to fire shots into the air, causing panic. Officers reportedly fled, some even scaling the fence into the nearby Yoruba Line section of the market.
He started shooting sporadically into the air. At that moment many of the policemen ran away. Eyewitnesses said after an initial round of gunfire, the officer walked toward the road and resumed shooting, hitting three unsuspecting victims.
Following the attack, fear gripped the Watt Market area, with traders abandoning their stalls while others huddled in shock, discussing the tragedy.
Police spokesperson for the state command, SP Irene Ugbo said: “The Inspector returned from duty and suddenly began acting irrationally, shooting sporadically and warning people to stay away.
“Unfortunately, three people were hit. One woman has died, while two others are in critical condition. The officer has been arrested and is in custody.”
However, further investigation is being conducted on what led to such abnormal behavior.
