20 gunmen invade Delta community, bombed police station with IEDs

Some gunmen, numbering about 20, on Sunday, invaded Ashaka community in  Ndokwa East Local Government Area of Delta State and threw IEDs into the police station.

The hoodlums, in their wake, burnt down the police station, destroyed a patrol van with the explosives and threw the sleepy community into pandemonium.

No life was lost in the attack.

Confirming the attack, the State Command’s acting Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Bright Edafe, in a statement on Sunday, said the perpetrators will be tracked down in due course. 

“In the early hours of today 6/6/21 at about 0100hours, some enemies of the community and that of the police all armed men numbering about twenty stormed Ashaka police station, they threw IEDS at the station, shot sporadically, and set the police station that was built by the community/DESOPADEC ablaze.

“They also burnt down one patrol vehicle also bought for the police division by good people of the community just to ensure that police presence is not felt.

“It is pertinent to state that no life was lost and no arm was taken away. However, the police will not relent in ensuring that law and order is maintained in any community.

“Unprovoked attacks on the police will not deter the police from providing the needed security in any community in Delta State.

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“The hoodlums who perpetrated this dastardly act will certainly not go free, as serious efforts are on to arrest them and bring them to book,” he noted.

In another development, operatives of the command have reportedly shot dead six suspected kidnappers during a raid of suspected kidnappers’ hideout in the state.

The command, during the ambush, also recovered one AK47 rifle, one pump action gun and one AK47 magazine with 25 live ammunition.

DSP Edafe, in the statement, also disclosed the arrest of four suspects along the Bayelsa-Patani section of the East-West after police tactical operatives discovered a local made barretta pistol from the suspects.

“In another development, at about 1435hrs on 5/6/21, acting on a tip off the commissioner of police Delta state, deployed joint tactical teams of the command who stormed the hideout of suspected armed robbers/kidnappers, engaged the hoodlums in a serious gun duel, the joint team killed six of them, while others fled with gunshot injuries into the bush, one Ak 47 rifle, one pump action gun, one AK 47 magazine with 25 live ammunition were recovered.

“In the same vein, on 5/6/21 at about 2130hours, the men of Delta state command while on stop and search duty along Patani-Bayelsa road intercepted a Sienna bus with Reg. no. LSR 813 XL with four occupants, on sighting the police, they quickly tried to maneuver in a bid to escape.

“The police went after them, on searching the vehicle, one locally made Barretta Pistol was recovered, and four suspects namely, Efe Oyenikoro ‘m’ Felix George ‘m’ Emmanuel Job ‘m’ Joan Yapiteghe ‘m’ were arrested”, the statement added.

Meanwhile, the Delta Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ari Ali, has charged Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in the state to stem the growing insecurity in the state by taking the battle to the hoodlums.

He urged members of the public to volunteer useful information that will assist the police in discharging its duties through intelligence gathering in the face of the growing insecurity across the country.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE