The permanent secretary of the ministry of foreign Affairs, Martin Uhomoibhi, yesterday met with the charge d'affaires of the Polish Embassy to formally protest the shooting to death of a Nigerian citizen in Warsaw, Poland on Sunday, May 23, 2010, by the Polish Police.
Mr Uhomoibhi expressed Nigeria's displeasure over the incident and the arrest of other 30 Nigerian citizens resident in Poland, which he said is a harassment aftermath of the killing.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Odein Ajumogobia. Photo: SUNDAY ADEDEJI
According to him, instructions have been given to the Nigerian Ambassador in Poland to make a formal demarche to the Polish foreign ministry in protest of the killing. He equally called on the polish authorities to set up an inquiry into the incident, to ensure that all those found guilty are held accountable.
A tragedy
The charge d'affaires conveyed the condolences of the Polish government over the tragic incident which she described as unfortunate. She also disclosed that the Polish authorities were already investigating the matter and assured that the details and outcomes of the investigation will be communicated to the Nigerian government as soon it is resolved.
She also observed that the incident was not pre-planned, but a one-off incident that did not reflect the Polish government's policy or attitude towards Nigerian living in Poland. Nigerian-Poland relations have been cordial and built over years of cooperation in various fields of endeavour, she said, urging that this incident should not be allowed to soil the otherwise excellent relations between the two countries.
Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that the unnamed citizen died after being shot on Sunday during a police raid on an open-air market in Warsaw.
"The ministry strongly believes that there can be no justification for this wanton killing of a Nigerian citizen," the ministry said in a statement.
"The killing without established culpability demonstrates the high-handedness on the part of the Polish police."
Unprovoked attack
Polish National Police spokesperson, Mariusz Sokolowski, said officers at the market chased after a Nigerian who ran away from them while they were on patrol. One of the officers threw the man to the ground and tried to handcuff him, but a group of foreigners attacked him, Mr Sokolowski said, claiming that the officer's handgun fired during the struggle, with the round striking the Nigerian.
"This man could have been saved and police officers started to resuscitate him, but they were repeatedly attacked with stones by a group of foreigners and were forced to defend themselves, and had to stop the resuscitation," Mr Sokolowski added.
He said six police officers were injured in the fighting and 32 foreigners were arrested.
Source: http://234next.com
No comments:
Post a Comment