Policeman Fatally Shoots 40-Year-Old Benalayefa Asiayei in Bayelsa Over ₦200
In a tragic incident on Azikoro Road in Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa State, 40-year-old Benalayefa Asiayei was shot and killed by a policeman. The event occurred around 8 pm on Tuesday while Asiayei, an electrician from the Bobougbene community in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State, was returning home in his Toyota Sienna.
According to reports, Asiayei was stopped by a patrol from the state security outfit, Operation Doo Akpo. The policeman demanded ₦200 from Asiayei, a routine extortion from motorists. When Asiayei, who had only one passenger in his vehicle, expressed he didn’t have the money, the officer opened fire.
The state’s Police Public Relations Officer, Musa Mohammed, confirmed that the policeman involved was part of Operation Doo Akpo. Witnesses at the scene said that after the shooting, the officer fled in the patrol van, although some bystanders managed to capture photographs of him.
A relative of Asiayei, known only as Zaiky, discovered the scene and raised the alarm. The police subsequently transported Asiayei’s body to Government House Hospital in Yenagoa and then to the mortuary at the Federal Medical Centre.
The family of the deceased is calling for justice. They urge Governor Douye Diri, the Inspector General of Police, and the Ijaw Youth Council to take decisive actions against police brutality in the state. “We appeal to Governor Douye Diri and the Inspector General of Police to ensure that the policeman responsible for Benalayefa’s death is brought to justice, and call on the Ijaw Youth Council to help combat police brutality in Bayelsa State,” the family stated.
