3 shot dead by gunmen in Delta

Paul Osuyi, Asaba

Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen have reportedly shot dead three persons in Abraka in Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State.

Local sources claimed that the killings occurred on Reserve Road on Tuesday evening when two of the victims suspected to be a mother and her daughter were waylaid on their way from the farm by the gunmen.

One of the victims simply identified as Kennedy Ukuwanorvwe, 27 years old, had earlier been killed before the assailants laid an ambush for the female victims at Abacha Camp.

Local sources said Abacha camp, a farming area predominantly cultivated by indigenes of both Abraka in Ethiope East and Obiaruku in Ukwuani council areas of the state.

The male victim was identified as a native of Obiaruku, and his body has been taken home by relatives while others were deposited in a morgue in the area.

The state Commissioner of Police, Adeyinka Adeleke, who confirmed the killings on phone to our correspondent in Asaba on Wednesday, said an investigation was ongoing to unravel the cause of the deaths.

Adeleke said it was not clear yet if the deceased were victims of herdsmen or marauding armed robbers, saying that their bodies were recovered, and  detectives were presently combing the bushes for clues.

Abraka and its environs have been flash points for criminal activities of herdsmen for almost a decade.