Breaking News
Gunmen Kill 2 Corps Members in Bayelsa
*Suspected ritualist burnt to death
Emmanuel Addeh in Yenagoa
A gang of hoodlums invaded a corps members’ residence along school road , Swali, Yenagoa, and shot three members of the National Youth Service Corps Corps(NYSC).
Of the three corpers, two were confirmed dead on Thursday, while one who was critically injured is currently receiving treatment in one of the hospitals in the capital city.
The police identified the dead NYSC members as Popoola Oluwatobi Olamide, 30, a graduate of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) who was an indigene of Oyo State, and George Onokpoma. The third corp member Anthony Gbenga Dada survived the attack and is currently receiving treatment in the hospital.
The armed men, numbering about six were said to have arrived the corpers‘ residence at about 10.30pm and immediately started shooting into the lodge repeatedly with cries of anguish from within the residence.
The deceased corps members, it was gathered, were attached to a private school, identified as Victory Group of Schools, close to their residence and were marking some examination scripts when the hoodlums invaded their home.
It wasn’t immediately clear why the gang attacked, but it was learnt that one of the suspects, now in police custody, was found sleeping in the same room as the attacked corps members after the bloody attack.
“The armed men had attacked a shop close to the residence and the arrested suspect escaped and was traced to the house.
“It is suspected that the armed men wanted to kill him but instead met the corps members and shot them,” a source said.
The only shot survivor said the suspected cultists broke into their room and started shooting, adding that when the leader of the gang ordered that he should be shot in the head, there was no more bullet in their gun.
Confirming the incident in a release, Police Spokeman, Asinim Butswat said: “On the 20th March, 2019 at about 2200hours, armed robbers numbering about seven, attacked the residence of one Jerry Yeseme Moses ‘m’ proprietor of a school, at swalli, Yenagoa.
“The armed robbers instantly shot and killed one Corper Oluwatobi Popoola ‘m’ 30years,they also shot one George Onokpoma ‘m’ and Anthony Gbenga Dada.
“The victims were rushed to the Federal Medical Center, Yenagoa, where George Onokpoma was confirmed dead, while Anthony Gbenga is responding to treatment. The command has launched a manhunt for the unknown gunmen, investigation is ongoing”.
He said the command paid a condolence visit to the State Coordinator NYSC, Bayelsa State, Mrs Lotto Bolade, to convey their condolences to the families of the deceased and the entire NYSC family.
Meanwhile, an angry mob in the early hours of Thursday in Akenpai, a suburb of Yenagoa, burnt to death a suspected cultist, who was found butchering a lady after killing her.
He was allegedly caught while trying to cut open the body of the young lady identified as Best, an indigene of Epie, when luck ran out on him.
A source said that at least three other ladies had lost their lives in the same circumstances in the last one month.
“He’s the guy that has been killing women at Akenfa. They caught him once when he was trying to kill another woman. This is the third woman he has killed so far”, she said.
Butswat, police spokesman, however said that both the suspected ritualist and murdered woman were known to be mentally sick.
