A 23-year-old student of Federal University Wukari, Taraba State, Miss Emmanuella Ahenjir, was shot dead on Friday morning by police personnel at the Wurukum roundabout in Makurdi, Benue State.
Emmanuella, a 200-level student of Business Management, was in a vehicle with a young male driver when police officers on patrol opened fire at them around 7:30 a.m.
Eyewitnesses said the car was coming from the Gyado Villa area and approached a police checkpoint at Wurukum. The officers reportedly flagged the car down, but when the driver did not stop in time, they opened fire. One of the bullets struck Emmanuella.
“She was rushed to the hospital, but sadly she died from the gunshot wound after losing a lot of blood,” an eyewitness told reporters.
The incident has caused serious outrage in Makurdi. Several civil society groups and activists are demanding immediate justice, threatening mass protests if the officers responsible are not identified and punished.
A popular gender rights activist, Ukan Kurugh, said the town could be shut down from Tuesday if authorities fail to act. “Makurdi will be locked down if justice is not served,” he warned.
There has been no official statement yet from the Benue State Police Command, but pressure is mounting as residents demand accountability and justice for Emmanuella.
This tragic incident adds to growing concerns over police conduct and the use of deadly force at checkpoints across Nigeria.
