This fallacy called 'Accidental Discharge'

Accidental discharge which I call 'trigger-happy syndrome' has been in existence way before the democratic government of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. An example is the shooting of three men and a girl, Alice Tominiyi inside a bus along Sagamu Benin Express-Way on 7-2-1997 by Solomon Adekunle, a police officer.  The victims were taken to the hospital where the girl Alice eventually died on 8-2-1997.The sad tale is that we still grapple with this issue till date.The death of Ademola Aderinto, killed by a police bullet during the anti-fuel subsidy removal protests, was accidental. Most recent is the death of nine year old Timilehin Ebun who was killed by a police stray bullet right inside his father's car on his way back from the Airport with his family, where they had gone to pick his elder brother

 

According to 'hairy' on nairaland, 'Every sophisticated firearm manufactured comes with a SAFETY CATCH. A trained man is instructed never to remove his firearm from safety until he intends to use it. Understand the language, not "unless" he intends to use it but UNTIL. The subtlety must not be overlooked. Only after the need arises should he flick off the safety. With the Safety, a mistaken depression of the trigger will not cause the firearm to discharge averting the possibility of an accident. Therefore I put it to the Nigerian police that unless their weapons come without safety, unless they train their operatives to regard safety last as against first, to risk life at will, to shoot and ask questions later and to terminate lives with wanton disregard, the term ACCIDENTAL DISCHARGE is an assault on our collective sensibilities and a grammatical contraption repugnant to common sense. A policeman's finger has no business in the trigger compartment unless the situation absolutely mandates use of his firearm. Before that however the safety of his firearm has no justification being off in the absence of clear and present danger'.

 

 What is the worth of a Nigerian life to a trigger-happy policeman, that this monstrous syndrome that cuts short the hopes and dreams of its victims has continued to torment us as a people? 
LEJ Readers, Is accidental discharge really accidental?