Delta: Three youths killed as police hunt chief, suspects

Delta map

The Delta State Police Command on Tuesday confirmed the killing of three youths in Asaba, the Delta State capital, declaring a full-scale manhunt for Owelle of Onicha-Olona, Chief Jerry Nkeeshe and all members of the armed group responsible for the deadly attack that claimed the lives of three innocent youths.

The spokesperson for the Delta State Police Command, SP Bright Edafe, confirmed the killings in a statement in Asaba.

The victims were said to have been shot dead on Monday, while others were injured when some armed hoodlums invaded a land located on Kilometre 1 Asaba-Benin Expressway, in Oshimili South Local Government Area of Delta State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the bloody incident followed a land dispute between the original owners and a suspected gang of land grabbers.
The incident also led to the destruction of some property by the armed thugs, who were said to have invaded the compound in about 15 vehicles and dressed in security uniforms.

One of the victims of the attack and the Caretaker of the area, Dalha Mohammad, who spoke at the hospital on Monday, said some tenants were already occupying the property in the disputed land, whose owner was said to have inherited it from his father.

He said, “This (Monday) morning, some armed thugs dressed in security operatives’ uniform stormed a land at Km 1, Asaba-Benin Expressway and opened fire on occupants of the place. About four people were gunned down, while about five were injured and rushed to the hospital.
“As I speak now, some other injured victims are at the St. Rebecca Hospital, Asaba, where they are receiving treatment and bullets are being extracted from their bodies.”

Also speaking, the Chairman of Hausa Community, Abraka Quarters, and also one of the tenants in the compound, Awalu Dalhatu, said, “The armed thugs, suspected to be land grabbers, came in about 15 vehicles, parked nearby and opened fire on occupants of the property, resulting in the instant death of four persons and five people sustained gunshot wounds. Punch