Gunmen ambush police rescue team, kill DPO, other officers in Delta
From Joe Obukata Ogbodu, Warri
A Divisional Police Officer (DPO) and some of his men, were reportedly killed by unknown gunmen during a midnight raid to rescue kidnapped victims in Delta State.
The DPO, CSP Jega, and his team were ambushed yesterday by kidnappers near the Agbarho Rail Station at around 1:00 a.m.
According to an inside source, the police received distress calls at 1:30 a.m about kidnapped victims trapped along the Agbarho Railway Station.
The DPO quickly mobilised his team, but they were unaware of the kidnappers’ ambush.
According to our source, “there were distress calls at about 1.30am yesterday to the new DPO that some persons had been kidnapped and their vehicle was trapped along the Railway Station.
“Immediately, the new DPO contacted his Orerokpo counterpart and mobilised and went to the area but unknown to them that the kidnappers had laid ambush and as soon as the kidnappers sighted the police team they opened fire on the police.
“The DPO was killed instantly, and his Orerokpo counterpart, another DPO, was seriously wounded and he is currently on the danger list in an undisclosed hospital,” the source revealed.
The source added that other policemen in the rescue team were reportedly killed also but the actual number of the casualties on the side of the police were not immediately ascertained as at the time of this report.
According to the source, there were also casualties, within the kidnappers’ camp but the actual figure is not yet known.
Delta Rights activist, Israel Joe, reported the incident on his Facebook page, expressing his pain and condolences.
He said; “The new DPO Agbarho, who resumed duty two days ago;DPO Orerokpe, CSP Paul and their men, who went for a kidnap rescue operation at about 1:am in the early hours of today were ambushed close to the Agbarho Rail station.
“There was an exchange of gunfiring,the new DPO, and some police men were kíIIed while the Orerokpe DPO has been rushed to an undisclosed hospital where he is battling with his life.
“I feel very pained about this news. This was the same DPO I spoke with yesterday about the conduct of his men who demanded money from a citizen, and he rescued the situation immediately, cautioning his men not to try that again under his watch.
“This is very tearful, I can, to some extent, attest to the characters of these men.
“I wish to convey my condolence to the Nigeria Police Force, the CP Delta State Command, entire family and friends of the police who lost their lives in a quest to save society in the front line of duty.
“None of these demons should be spared by the force”, he said.
Delta State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Bright Edafe, hasn’t responded to messages sent to him as of the time of filing the report.