The Chairman of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has said that the Canadian authorities have begun investigations into the killing of a 19-year-old Nigerian, Afolabi Stephen, by trigger happy policemen in Manitoba, Canada on December 31, 2023.
In a condolence message issued by the Director of Media and Public Relations and Protocols, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Dabiri-Erewa promised the deceased’s family and Nigerians in Canada that the probe would be thorough and that justice would be served.
She said, “We are in touch with the Nigerian mission in Ottawa who have the assurances of the Canadian authorities that investigations into the unfortunate incident have begun and will be thorough.
“We offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Afolabi and pray unto God to allow his gentle and innocent soul to rest in perfect peace.”
Though the details of Afolabi’s death and other associated events are still sketchy, the Winnipeg, Manitoba Police Department, in a statement posted on its website via Winnipeg.ca, said its officers responded to a call about a young male who was acting “erratically”.
The police claimed that upon arrival, efforts to calm the young man proved abortive which led to a discharge of firearm by them which ultimately led to his death.
“On December 31, 2023, at approximately 2:22 p.m., the Winnipeg Police Service responded to an apartment suite in the first 100 block of University Crescent for a 911 call regarding a male acting erratically. The caller advised the male may be armed and there were other people in the suite.
Upon police arrival, they were confronted by an armed male. During this encounter, an officer discharged their firearm, striking the male. Officers provided immediate medical care and ensured the wellbeing of all other parties on scene. Nobody else was injured.