Three policemen were on Thursday morning reportedly killed by gunmen at their duty post along Igarra-Auchi road in Edo State while another sustained serious injury.
it was gathered that the sad incident happened between 5:30 and 6 am close to the Ihievbe-Ogbe market (popular known as Agor market).
It also gathered that the armed men opened fire on the officers while they were resuming at their duty post where they usually mount roadblock.
It was learnt the deceased were mobile policemen.
When contacted the Edo State Police Command image maker ,Chidi Nwabuzor said the Command was yet to get the details of what happened.
However, Ibukun Dogo, the head of Vigilante group in Igarra told newsmen that one of the gunmen died of gunshots while another sustained gunshot wounds.
Dogo said one of the armed men that sustained gunshot wounds has been taken to an undisclosed hospital for treatment and interrogation while six rifles were recovered from them.
He said he got a call from the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Igarra around 6 am that his men were attacked.
He said as a result of the call, they quickly mobilized to the place and saw the lifeless bodies of the three officers.
According to him, men of the vigilante were called for reinforcement who later combed the bush and traced the assailants to their hideout and recovered the four police rifles and another two belonging to the attackers.
“We saw blood stains on the ground in the bush and we trailed the stains to a hideout of the suspects where we met two of the gunmen 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 additional two in the area we found them”, he said.
Dogo, who alleged that the suspect said they were from Okene in Kogi State, added that “but we don’t know their mission whether it is armed robbery or kidnapping they wanted to use the arms and ammunition for.
it was further learnt that the mobile policemen established their checkpoint by Ihievbe-Ogbe market (Agor) because of the activities of kidnappers who usually comb the farm settlements in the area kidnapping and collecting ransom from hapless farmers.
It was gathered that the policemen
were driving in their car when the armed men who apparently laid ambush opened fire on them killing three on the spot.
It was also learnt that a colleague of the police officers who rode on a motorbike, was,however, said to have engaged the assailants who fled into the bush with the four rifles of the policemen after killing them.
