One Killed, Another Kidnapped as Bandits Attack Ambulance in Edo

One Killed, Another Kidnapped as Bandits Attack Ambulance in Edo

By Adibe Emenyonu

It was a horror and double tragedy yesterday for a family conveying their dead relative from Lagos to Enugu for burial when gunmen shot and killed one of the drivers in the convoy in Edo State.

Besides, the younger brother of the deceased, who was sitting in from of the ambulance carrying the dead was kidnapped while the ambulance was badly damaged.

The incident, as gathered, happened at the Benin bye-pass near Ahor in Edo State, an area notorious for kidnapping in the past few days.

Narrating the incident, the driver of the ambulance marked Lagos KRD 782 GO, who gave his name as Salami Orijiwa, said they left Lagos as early as 6 a.m. last Saturday to make the journey early to Enugu.

According to him, “I carried a corpse in the ambulance, and we were coming from Lagos going to Enugu to bury him, while the younger brother of the deceased was sitting with me in the front seat of the vehicle. When I first sighted them, I thought they were policemen because one of them was holding a gun on the right hand side of the road and then I saw another one on the left carrying cutlass, at that point I thought they were thieves and then suddenly I saw another person in front who pointed a gun at us and shot it. I quickly bent down inside the vehicle and that was how I lost control and veered into the bush and fell into a ditch. The bullet hit the vehicle behind me and the driver died on the spot.”

It was further gathered that the family was still negotiating with the abductors who are said to be demanding N5million as ransom before they will release their victim.

When contacted yesterday, the state Commissioner of Police, Philip Ogbadu, said he was in a meeting and directed inquiries to the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Chidi Nwabuzor, who did not answer repeated calls to his phone line.

Related Articles