Gunmen Kill 3 Policemen in Edo

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Three mobile policemen have been killed and one was seriously injured when gunmen opened fire on them.

The incident occurred yesterday’s morning when the policemen were resuming at their duty post near Agor, along the Igarra-Auchi Road in Edo State.

One of the assailants also died of gunshots while another sustained wounds and has been taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment and interrogation.

Six rifles were recovered from the attackers.

According to eye witness account, the incident happened between 5:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. close to the popular Agor Market where the mobile policemen usually mount roadblock.

The checkpoint was established because of the activities of kidnappers and other criminal gangs in the area who comb farm settlements in that area to kidnap and collect ransom from hapless farmers.

The eye witness said that while the policemen were driving in their car, another of their colleague was riding on a motorbike following the vehicle when the assailants who apparently laid ambush opened fire on them.

“The policeman on bike was the one that engaged the assailants who fled into the bush with the four rifles of the policemen after killing them.

“Immediately, men of the local vigilante were called for reinforcement who later combed the bush and traced the assailants to their hideout and recovered the four police rifles and another two belonging to the attackers,” the witness said.

Also narrating the incident, the head of the vigilante group in the area, Mr. Ibukun Dogo, said: “I got a call from the DPO around 6 a.m. that his men were attacked and we quickly mobilised to the place with other policemen and saw the lifeless bodies of the three officers.

“We saw blood markings on the ground into the bush and we trailed that blood stains to a hideout of the suspects where we met two of them with gunshot injuries, one had already died from the gunshots while the other was taken away by the police to the hospital.

We recovered the four police rifles and additional two in the hideout we met the assailants. Upon interrogation, the suspect said they are from Okenne in Kogi State but we don’t know their mission whether it is armed robbery or kidnapping they wanted to use the arms and ammunition for.”

When contacted, the Edo State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chidi Nwabuzor, said that the command was yet to get the details of what happened.