Nigerians demand justice for student killed by Canadian Police

By Amina Hilda

Over 7,000 people have signed an online petition, demanding justice for a 19-year-old Nigerian student who was shot dead in Canada by the Police.

Afolabi Stephen Opaso, a student of the University of Manitoba, was killed in an apartment suite in the first 100 block of University Crescent in Canada on December 31, 2023.

A statement released by the Winnipeg Police Service on its official website claimed its officers responded to a 911 call regarding a male acting erratically.

“On December 31, 2023, at approximately 2:22 pm, 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,” the Police statement read.

The petitioners who are demanding justice for the young student say he was a vibrant young man whose life was tragically cut short.

According to them, the incident has left a deep scar in their hearts and raised serious concerns about “police brutality and racial profiling”.

“We demand justice for Zigi (the deceased) and all victims of police brutality. We call upon the Canadian Government to conduct an impartial investigation into Zigi’s death and hold those responsible accountable for their actions,” the petitioners stressed.

Reacting to the incident, the Nigerian Association of Manitoba (NAMI), in a statement signed by its president, Vera Obehi Keyede, expressed dismay over the student’s death.

“The Nigerian Association of Manitoba wishes to express her deepest concern and regret over the unfortunate incident involving the shooting that led to the death of a Nigerian international student, by the Winnipeg Police Service on the 31st of December 2023,” the statement partly reads.

The Association further called for calm as an investigation, they revealed, is underway.

CTV News reported that the Winnipeg police reported the shooting to the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) hours later and the IIU has opened investigations into the killing.

This is not the first time a black person is being disproportionately shot by the police in Canada.

According to an investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Black people, as of 2020, represented 8% of all fatalities involving police despite making up only 3% of the population.

This, according to the Petitioners, is an “alarming statistic that highlights systemic racism within our law enforcement agencies”.

Mimi Mefo Info

Mimi Mefo Info (Editor)

Recent Posts

Le système roaming bientôt possible entre le Cameroun et le Tchad.

La visite d’une délégation tchadienne à Yaoundé a marqué un tournant dans la coopération numérique…

1 hour ago

La Banque africaine de développement soutient le Cameroun avec un prêt de 136 millions d’euros

La Banque africaine de développement (BAD) a annoncé le 20 mai 2025 l'approbation d'un prêt…

1 hour ago

Les banques de la CEMAC confrontées à une crise de liquidité sans précédent

Le système bancaire de la zone CEMAC traverse une période de tension extrême. Lors de…

2 hours ago

Africa Loses Billions to Visa Rejections as Cameroonian Man Wins Legal Battle Against France

A Cameroonian man, Jean Mboulé, recently made headlines after winning a legal case against the…

2 hours ago

Police Raid Criminal Hideouts in Yaoundé Amid Crackdown on Crime

Police arrested over 20 suspects in the Obili neighbourhood of Yaounde, including a 55-year-old drug…

7 hours ago

Farmer Found Brutally Beaten Along Santa Road, Now Hospitalized

A man believed to be in his early 40s is currently in critical condition at…

10 hours ago