An officer of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) was shot yesterday in Abuja while another was injured during a dispute with policemen in connection with the movement of the convoy of President Goodluck Jonathan.

The incident took place in Wuse Zone 2 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and “involved plain clothes and FRSC officials who were on the road to clear it for the convoy of President Goodluck Jonathan,” according to a report this morning in the Abuja-based LEADERSHIP newspaper.

The paper quoted an eyewitness as saying that trouble started when officials of the FRSC were ordered by the police to leave their duty post around the Central Area where President Jonathan’s convoy always passes to the presidential villa from the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport.

“It was gathered that the policemen and FRSC officials of the FRSC were mobilised to the area ahead of the president’s convoy from the airport,” the paper reported, adding:

“The alleged refusal of the FRSC officials to leave the area which they claimed to be their duty post to ensure traffic flow angered the policemen who were led by a divisional police officer (DPO).

“The angry policemen allegedly seized the Hilux van belonging to the FRSC and arrested its occupants.

“But other officials of the FRSC who got wind of the news blocked the road at the intersection of Sultan Abubakar Way and Olusegun Obasanjo Way at Wuse Zone 2, insisting that their officials and vehicle be released by the policemen.”

LEADERSHIP quoted an eyewitness as saying: “As they were arguing, a senior police officer used his gun to hit an officer of the FRSC on the head and another policeman started shooting into the air and suddenly I saw one official of FRSC down. That is when we started running for our lives.”

Another eyewitness said the police shot the FRSC official four times. “They came from Bolingo Hotel area where the president’s usually pass from the airport and started shouting at the FRSC men who barricaded the road with their trucks and then shot one of the FRSC men four times but I don’t know if he is still alive,” he said.

LEADERSHIP said the operation was carried out by men of the Abuja Crimes Control Squad 44 (ACCOS 44). “At the scene of the clash, officials of FRSC were seen taking the victims to hospital while men of the Nigeria police wearing bullet-proof vests were leaving the area,” it reported.

The paper said an attempt to speak to the most senior officer of FRSC at the scene yielded no result as he declined to comment on the matter. It quoted one of the FRSC officials as later saying that since the appointment of the new FCT Police Commissioner, Femi Ogunbayode, a directive was given to the FRSC by the police to leave the streets of Abuja for the highways outside the Federal Capital City for their operations.

The police high command refused to respond to enquiries by our correspondent on the matter.

•Photo shows a presidential convoy.