CP Azare Detains Police Officer, Orders Probe After 7-Year-Old Shot at Checkpoint in A’Ibom

• Seven-year-old boy injured during Quick Response Squad stop-and-search in Uyo.

• CP Azare orders alleged shooter, Inspector Monday Okonta, disarmed and detained.

• Commissioner visits injured child in hospital, assures family of transparent investigation.

• Police clarify separate viral checkpoint crash, say no officer died or was injured.

September 13, () – The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has detained a police inspector and ordered an immediate investigation after a seven-year-old boy was injured during a stop-and-search operation along Abak Road, Uyo.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Baba Mohammed Azare, ordered that Inspector Monday Okonta, the officer allegedly involved in the incident, be identified, disarmed, and detained at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Uyo, pending the outcome of a thorough and impartial investigation.

The incident occurred at about 9:30pm on Friday, September 11, 2026, when police personnel attached to the Quick Response Squad (QRS) stopped a vehicle conveying members of a family during a routine stop-and-search operation.

According to preliminary information released by the Command, a smoke pistol was allegedly discharged by one of the officers during the encounter, resulting in an injury to the left hand of the seven-year-old boy who was inside the vehicle.

The Command said the child was immediately taken for medical attention and is presently stable and responding to treatment.

Demonstrating the seriousness with which he views the incident, CP Azare personally visited the injured child in hospital, where he met with members of the family, assessed the child’s condition and assured them that the circumstances surrounding the incident would be fully established.

The Commissioner expressed concern over the incident and assured the family that the investigation would be conducted professionally, transparently and fairly.

He stressed that although police officers have a statutory responsibility to conduct lawful stop-and-search operations for the prevention of crime and protection of lives and property, such duties must be carried out with professionalism, restraint and respect for the safety and rights of members of the public.

Azare further warned that the Command would neither shield nor condone misconduct, recklessness or abuse of authority by its personnel, adding that any officer found culpable would face appropriate disciplinary and legal measures in accordance with extant laws and police regulations.

The Commissioner appealed to the affected family and members of the public to remain calm and allow the investigation to take its full course.

He also urged residents to continue to cooperate with police personnel at lawful checkpoints and stop-and-search points, assuring them that genuine complaints against officers would receive prompt attention.

Meanwhile, the Command has clarified a separate viral video showing a motor accident at the Police Checkpoint at Ikot Obio Odongo along the Nung Udoe/Uyo Road in Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.

The command dismissed social media claims that police officers were killed in the September 9 incident, stating that no police officer or other person lost his or her life or sustained injury in the crash.

Preliminary police investigation indicated that a minibus, registration number DUU 485 XA, driven by a man identified as Anietie, was stationary at the checkpoint during a stop-and-search operation when a Lexus vehicle, registration number GWA 529 DS, allegedly approached from behind at speed and collided with it.

Both vehicles were subsequently taken to the police station for investigation and documentation.
The Command urged members of the public to verify information before sharing unconfirmed reports on social media, warning against the circulation of misleading information capable of causing unnecessary panic.

An eyewitness who spoke exclusively to on condition of anonymity said the injury to the child should be treated with seriousness, stressing that security personnel must exercise maximum caution whenever they are dealing with civilians at checkpoints.

“The most important thing now is for the police to establish exactly what happened and ensure that the child receives proper care.

“Officers at checkpoints must always remember that the people they are dealing with are members of the public and that every action must be carried out with the greatest restraint,” the eyewitness said.

The latest development comes as the Command continues efforts to reassure residents of its commitment to maintaining public safety while insisting that its personnel must remain accountable in the discharge of their duties.