Some Suspected kidnappers have reportedly shot the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Igarra Police Station in Akoko-Edo local government area, of Edo State, Southern Nigeria.
Gatekeepers News reports that some kidnappers have reportedly shot the DPO of Igarra Police Station in Akoko-Edo local government area, of Edo state, Suleiman Muhammed along the Auchi-Igarra-Ibillo road on Tuesday.
According to reports, the incident which happened a few metres before Sasaro around 7 pm forced commuters to be stranded until the local vigilante group evacuated the seriously injured officer.
Although the suspected assailants had thought the DPO was dead, the vigilante group came to his rescue and cleared the road for motorists and commuters.
A member of the vigilante group who narrated the incident, said the DPO was shot in the eyes, arm, and stomach adding that he may have been shot by AK 47 as they recovered bullets and other cartridges from the scene of the attack.
He said “The DPO had earlier called us in the morning to a place where they said some suspected yahoo boys constituted a nuisance, then later around 3 pm, he told us that these suspected kidnappers were blocking the road, so we went there and chased them away. I was told that later in the evening after inspecting the change of guard, the DPO proceeded in his Toyota Camry car to Auchi where his family resides.
“The people laid ambush after the MTN Mast near Sasaro and shot him severally, I believe they thought he was dead and then abandoned him.
“Their gunshots made motorists going to Auchi and Coming from Auchi stop until we arrived at the scene in company of the police to rush the DPO to the hospital.
“He was bleeding profusely because he was shot in the eyes, arm, and stomach; after stabilizing him, he was rushed to Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital.
“This morning (Wednesday) I and my boys went back to the scene and we recovered used bullets including those of AK 47 and cartridges.”
Another leader of the vigilante who confirmed the incident attributed the rising operations of kidnappers in that axis to the presence of herdsmen who rented some parts of the land of community along that road for grazing.
The State Police Spokesman, Kontongs Bello was said to be on an official assignment out of the state but sources at the command said they are anticipating official details of the incident.
