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From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin and Olanrewaju Lawal Birnin Kebbi
Gunmen suspected to be armed robbers have attacked an army patrol van, killing a soldier and carting away a sack (Ghana-Must-Go bag) believed to have been loaded with cash, in broad daylight in Benin City, Edo State.
Three soldiers were said to have been in the military vehicle heading towards the Ikpoba Hill axis, when the assailants ambushed them at the traffic lights, along Akpakpava road by First Junction, about 2:10pm, in the state capital, on Wednesday.
It was gathered that the hoodlums drove an unmarked ash-colour Toyota Camry car against the traffic (one way) towards the army’s vehicle, as two of the four occupants alighted and opened fire on the soldiers.
The three soldiers, who were caught unawares in the web of bullets, reportedly abandoned their patrol vehicle and the loaded “Ghana-must-Go” bag, as they ran helter-skelter for safety.
Witnesses said one of the fleeing soldiers was, however, unlucky as he fell down and died about 84 meters away from the scene of attack, following serious injuries he sustained from the assailants’ bullets.
At the scene of the attack, Akpakpava Road, by First East Circular Road junction, Benin, witnesses said the attackers grabbed the bag from the military patrol van, dropped it in their operational Toyota Camry car and sped off. Some hawkers, who witnessed and narrated the ugly attack, said many people around would have died if the soldiers had the opportunity to respond to the gunfire of their attackers.
“One of the three soldiers fell down there while running away; he tried to get up, but he couldn’t because he was bleeding. Later, his two other colleagues came out to meet him, but they were helpless. Imagine a popular and busy junction like this, the government cannot install security cameras to record whatever is going on here, it’s unfortunate,” a shop owner said.
It could not, however, be ascertained whether the soldiers were armed and their arms taken away by the assailants.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer, 4 Brigade Nigerian Army Headquarters, Benin City, Captain Yusuf Sokoya, said: “Ok, I will find out if it is true, don’t call again, I will call you”.
At press time, Capt. Sokoya was yet to call. But the spokesman of the Edo State Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, while confirming the incident, said a soldier was killed when hoodlums attacked a military patrol vehicle at First Junction, Akpakpava road, Benin City, some minutes past 2pm.
“Edo State Police Command can confirm that a military personnel was killed today in Benin City. A good Nigerian reported the incident at the police station covering that neighbourhood. The hoodlums carted away a “Ghana-Must-Go” bag believed to have been loaded with cash kept inside the army van.
“Since they were in their patrol vehicle, they should be armed. The assailants acted on information. Investigation will unravel all that,” SP Chidi Nwabuzor said.
Also, suspected bandits killed two officers of the Nigeria Customs Service on patrol along Dakingari-Koko road in Kebbi State.
Chief Press Secretary to Governor Ahmed Idris, who confirmed this in a statement made available to newsmen, said: “The Kebbi State Government has expressed serious concern over the killing of two customs officers on patrol by suspected bandits.”
He also stated that the governor was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Yakubu Bala, at the funeral prayers for the deceased, at Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital, Birnin Kebbi. Governor Idris was quoted to have described the killing of the two officers, on Thursday, as a pathetic development.
He said: “The deceased, Abdullahi Mohammed, Customs Assistant II, and A. K. Shehu, Inspector Customs, was killed early Thursday morning, at about 1:30am, on Dakingari-Koko road while on patrol.
“The suspected bandits, after attacking the team on patrol, carted away with one of the deceased’s rifles, AK-47. The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Alhaji Yakubu Bala-Tafida, prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive the deceased and grant them Jannatul Firdaus.
“He, on behalf of the state government, commiserated with the deceased immediate families as well as the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and assured that the state government would provide temporary support to the deceased families.
(Continued on www.sunnewsonline.com)
“On behalf of the Kebbi State Government, we wish to tender our condolences to the immediate families and the Nigeria Customs Service; we urge you to accept what happened in good faith as nobody will live beyond his/her destined time. May Allah forgive their shortcomings,” he prayed.
“Governor Idris assured that all security agencies working in the state government will continue to intensify security operations and intelligence gathering towards mitigating the nefarious activities of bandits and other criminal elements across the state.
