Edo: Three policemen killed, one injured

Three mobile policemen were on Thursday morning killed while a fourth was seriously injured as gunmen opened fire on them while they were resuming at their duty post near Agor, along the Igarra-Auchi Road in Edo State.

One of the assailants died of gunshots while another sustained gunshot wounds and has been taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment and interrogation while six rifles were recovered from them.

A source stated that the incident happened between 5:30 and 6 am close to the popular Agor Market where the mobile policemen usually mount roadblocks.

The checkpoint, the source noted, was because of the activities of kidnappers in the area who comb the farm settlements to abduct and collect ransom from hapless farmers.

“While the policemen were driving in their car, another of their colleagues was riding on a motorbike behind the vehicle when the assailants who apparently laid ambush opened fire on them. “The officer on bike engaged the assailants who fled into the bush with the four rifles of the policemen after killing them,” the source added.

Narrating the incident, the head of the vigilante group in the area, Ibukun Dogo said, “I got a call from the DPO around 6 am that his men were attacked and we quickly mobilised to the place and saw the lifeless bodies of the three officers.

“We saw blood markings on the ground into the bush and we trailed those blood stains to a hideout of the suspects where we met two of them with gunshot injuries, one died from the gunshots while the other was taken away by the police to the hospital.

“We recovered the four police rifles and an additional two in the area we found them. The suspect said they are from Okenne in Kogi State but we don’t know their mission whether it is armed robbery or kidnapping they wanted to use the arms for.”

When contacted, the command’s Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, said the command was yet to get the details of what happened. Punch