BENIN CITY — THE convoy of the Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori was yesterday attacked by armed bandits in military uniform, leaving two Mobile Policemen, one of them an Inspector dead. Two others had gun shot wounds. The convoy of three Peugeot station wagon vehicles with six mobile policemen and one pregnant woman was attacked by a 22-man robbery gang, dressed in full military uniform along the Oluku-Benin byepass around 7.30 am on their way to Lagos on official relief duty.
Vanguard gathered that the convoy, led by an Inspector ran into a robbery operation in the area and started shooting to assist those vehicles held to ransom by the bandits, but were surprised by the heavy firepower returned by the robbers, who were mistaken initially for military men. Unknowingly for the Inspector and his team, the other members of the robbery gang were lurking by in a back-up vehicle.
The deceased Inspector, it was gathered, on discovery that the team might be overpowered by the bandits, ordered the drivers of the vehicles to move out of the scene of the attack, but was shot in the head by one of the bandits before the driver could react to his directive. The body of the deceased Inspector, who reportedly survived a similar attack last year with a gun shot wound in the ankle, have been deposited at the Central Hospital in Benin City, while the other officer shot in the back by the bandits reportedly died a few minutes on arrival at the emergency ward of the hospital.
Vanguard's visit to the hospital showed that the three other injured officers were receiving treatment and classified by the hospital management as under intensive treatment, while the pregnant woman in the vehicle was seen making phone calls to some persons on the incident.
The bullet-ridden vehicles used by the officers were dumped in the premises of the Edo State Government House. This reporter counted over fifty bullet holes and blood stains inside the three vehicles. The Media Assistant to the Delta State Governor, Mr. Abel Oshevire, confirmed the incident to Vanguard on phone.
He told Vanguard that those involved were not part of the state governor's convoy, but said, "today a Government House, Asaba Peugeot 504 saloon car conveying six policemen to Lagos on official duty were attacked by armed robbers in the early hours of the morning along Benin-Asaba road. Two of the Officers died in the attack."
