THE Ughelli-Asaba expressway in Delta State was turned to a
no-go-area, yesterday, as armed robbers massacred the Divisional Police
Officer, DPO, in-charge of Abraka Police Station, Abraka, Ethiope-East
Local Government Area of the state, five other policemen, two soldiers
and three civilians.
Vanguard learnt that the bandits, who ambushed the DPO, Mr.
Steve Chigbufuea, Superintendent of Police, SP, who was travelling to
Police Headquarters, Asaba, for an official engagement, shot him dead
and two of his men, among them an Inspector.
Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Charles Muka, who
confirmed the killing of the policemen, however, said five of the armed
robbers were rounded up by the police when they struck at a new
generation bank at Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area of the
state, later in the day.
Muka told Vanguard that the Commissioner of Police, Mr.
Ikechukwu Aduba, would brief the press on the latest incident at Asaba,
where the bandits would be paraded.
Vanguard learnt, however, that an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, based at Ogwashi-Uku is among the six police casualties.
The two soldiers were believed to be among the security operatives on
joint patrol, while the three civilians were victims of circumstance,
having found themselves in a theatre of war.
Traffic congestion
A source who was travelling from Warri to Asaba told Vanguard
yesterday afternoon: “It is a serious matter, there was a serious
traffic congestion, we could not move further. We were going for the
visit of the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, to the state to
commission a project, but we had to turn back to Warri because the road
was not safe.
“There was fright and tension everywhere as the robbers overpowered
the security agents and under such circumstance, it would be foolhardy
for us to continue our journey on the road that armed security agents
were killed in less than three minutes by gunmen.”
It was gathered that the robbers waylaid the DPO and his team to
collect weapons for their operation, while they indiscriminately opened
fire on the soldiers to prevent them from stopping them or coming after
them when the news of the killing of the DPO spreads.
But Muka said the police confronted and arrested five of them at a
new generation bank in Ibusa, where they went to minutes later to rob
the bank.
The robbery operation caused panic in the state in view of the visit of the First Lady.
A police source who spoke to Vanguard at about 7.00 pm said:
“It was like a war in Delta State, armed robbers, suspected to be
aggrieved ex-militants, unleashed a reign of terror on security agents,
killing about five policemen and two soldiers.
“The most feared policeman in the state, Danladi, a Deputy
Superintendent of Police, who goes about killing armed robbers was
himself killed in addition to the DPO, Abraka Police Station and three
of his men.”
Grenade recovered from robbers
Vanguard gathered, last night, that a rocket propelled
grenade, RPG, launcher, was recovered from the robbers by the police,
assisted by youths of Ibusa community, who barricaded exit ways to the
community when they struck.
The source said the police moved in with an Armoured Personnel
Carrier, APC, to Ibusa to confront the robbers after they killed the DPO
and Danladi at Igbodo area, and some of the robbers escaped, but three
were gunned down.
He said: “The police recovered three AK 47 rifles, 96 expended AK 47
ammunition and 1000 unexpended ammunition, as well as one of the
vehicles used by the bandits.”
They reportedly escaped in a bus belonging to a transport company
More than 30 policemen, including three DPOs have been massacred and
injured in some cases by armed robbers in the state in the last few
months.
An Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, in charge of Eku Police
Station, Delta State, identified as Mr. Ayoola Adelodun was killed, last
year.
Source: Vanguardnews
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