Three mobile policemen were on Thursday morning killed while one other was injured as gunmen reportedly 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 was said to have died of gunshots while another sustained gunshot wounds and has been taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment and interrogation.
Six rifles were said to have been recovered from them.
A source, who did not want his name in print for security reasons, told PUNCH Metro that the incident happened between 5.30am and 6am close to the popular Agor Market where the mobile policemen usually mount roadblocks.
The checkpoint, the source noted, was erected because of the activities of kidnappers in the area who comb the farm settlements to abduct farmers and collect ransom.
“While the policemen were driving in their car, another of their colleagues was riding on a motorbike behind the vehicle when the assailants who laid ambush opened fire on them.
“The policemen on the bike engaged the assailants who fled into the bush with the policemen’s rifles after killing them,” the source added.
Narrating the incident to journalists, the head of the vigilante group in the area, Ibukun Dogo, said, “I got a call from the Divisional Police Officer around 6am that his men were attacked and we quickly mobilised to the place and saw the lifeless bodies of the three policemen.
“We saw blood markings on the ground into the bush and we traced the blood stains to the suspects’ hideout 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 state Police Public Relations Officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, said the command was yet to get the details of the incident.
