Chidalu, a baby boy, was allegedly hit by a stray bullet fired from a white Hilux van that drove past the Fire Service Roundabout. The parents of the deceased alleged that the men in the van were NSCDC officials. However, Chimeziri said that the NSCDC was not responsible for the shooting and would never be associated with such a careless, cruel, and inhumane act.
“As a command, we only received the news of the boy's death when his parents visited the command’s headquarters in Owerri recently. The unfortunate thing is that Chidalu’s parents were made to believe that the men in the Hilux van were officers of the NSCDC. That assumption is erroneous and unspeakable," Chimeziri said.
He urged the public to ignore the allegation and remain calm while the command carried out holistic investigations in cooperation with other security agencies to unravel the culprits and make them face the law. According to Chimeziri, many organizations use white Hilux vans in Imo, and just like other people who wear red collars, it is not a unique identification for NSCDC officers.
Chimeziri expressed sympathy with the family of the deceased and urged them and the public to remain calm and law-abiding while awaiting an investigation into the incident. He assured them that justice must prevail in the matter, and the NSCDC would conclude its investigation soon.
Reacting to the incident, the Commissioner of Police in Imo, Mr Abutu Yaro, also denied allegations that the NSCDC was responsible for the child's death. He said that the police were investigating the matter and that anyone found culpable would face the full wrath of the law.
Yaro urged residents of Imo to go about their lawful activities without fear of harassment, intimidation, or molestation. He called on the public to provide useful information to the police and other security agencies to help them tackle insecurity in the state.
In his own reaction, the Chairman of the Imo State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRM Eze Samuel Ohiri, described the incident as "tragic and unacceptable". He urged the government and security agencies to identify the culprits and bring them to justice.
Ohiri also called on the government to take urgent steps to tackle insecurity in the state, noting that the current situation was affecting the socio-economic development of the state.
Meanwhile, the parents of the deceased, Mr and Mrs Udeagbala, have appealed to the government and security agencies to ensure that justice is done in the matter. They said that they had lost their only child and called on the authorities to prevent a recurrence of such incidents in the future.
The incident has generated reactions from various quarters, with many calling on the government to take urgent steps to address the security challenges in the state. There have been cases of kidnapping, banditry, and cult-related violence in the state, which have claimed many lives and property.