News Update: Police beg family of slain girl for settlement

Lifeless body of Late Lucy Ukpong 

The police have pleaded with the family of Lucy Ukpong, a sales girl that was shot dead by policemen from the FCT Police Command, for an amicable settlement of the matter.
It was gathered that the parents of the deceased and other relations had met with some police officers over the killing of the girl, but the meeting was not conclusive on how the matter should be settled.
Our correspondent learnt that the family were considering settling the matter through judicial process or payment of compensation by the police.
This revelation came just just as the family had concluded arrangements to collect Lucy’s remains from Garki Hospital on Friday (today) for burial in Akwa Ibom State on Saturday.
Lucy, a sales girl at a photography shop in Apo, Abuja was hit in the chest by bullets allegedly fired by policemen from the FCT Special Anti-robbery Squad on October 12. Three others sustained gunshot wounds during the incident.
The 20-year-old girl was inside the shop when she was killed by policemen who had come to enforce the order on demolition of illegal structures by officials of development control department. The deceased had only spent a month on her job before the incident.
Findings however indicated that the policemen were on an illegal duty as the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council said they were not authorised to enforce any demolition exercise during the period.
The residents of the area had resisted moves to carry out the demolition exercise, leading to a confrontation and sporadic gunshots by the policemen.
A family source told our correspondent on Thursday that the Federal Capital Territory Administration gave the family N1.8m for funeral expenses while the FCT Police Command provided coffin, ambulance and what it called logistics support to the family.
The source stated that the police were begging Lucy’s family for an amicable settlement of the matter, though the family members were yet to accept their entreaties.
The source said, “The police have been pleading with the family to drop the case, but they (family members) are yet to take a position on the matter, they want to bury the girl first before taking a stand on the next point of action.
“Some family members want the police to pay compensation for killing the girl, but the police have not made any offer for now.”
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, Doris England, could not be reached for comments as she did not respond to calls to her phone.