19-year-old Nigerian international student in Canada identified as Stephen Afolabi Opaso, fondly called Zigi by friends and peers, was shot dead by Canadian police in Manitoba on December 31, 2023, sparking reactions from Nigerians and the diaspora community.
The incident involved the killing of Opaso, a student of the University of Manitoba by the Winnipeg Police Service after receiving a distress call from an apartment suite of an armed male acting erratically.
Opaso was allegedly experiencing a mental health crisis and was wielding a knife at the time of the encounter, according to eyewitnesses. Police yelled “Drop the knife” before firing 3 shots at the victim eventually leading to his passing.
The Winnipeg Police in their statement, acknowledged the confrontation with an armed male but provided insufficient details.
The statement reads: “On December 31, 2023, at approximately 2:22 p.m., 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.
“During this encounter, an officer discharged their firearm, striking the male. Officers provided immediate medical care and ensured the well-being being of all other parties on scene. Nobody else was injured.
“The male was transported to hospital in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries.”