At least six people, including three gallant members of the Edo State Security Network (ESSN), were gunned down by gunmen who invaded Okhunmwun Community in the Ovia North-East local government area of Edo State last Thursday.
The gun-wielding assailants also reportedly shot and wounded several others, including a septuagenarian retired military officer, Mr. Peter Omorogbe, and the head of the tactical team of ESSN, Mr. Osarenren A.K.A general-sized baby, who is now hospitalised
The police identified the casualties as Endurance Ehioretin, Victor Uwaifo, and D.D. (ESSN operatives), Osas Orobor, an indigene of the community, Sada Haruna, and Wada Hilia, commercial motorcycle riders.
A source in the community stated that some people have been missing since the bloody attack.
Sources revealed that the assailants in their numbers sneaked into the community with heavily loaded guns and laid an ambush at Okhunmwun Road by Uhogua Junction inside Okhunmwun Community, where they killed five of their victims.
The source revealed further that as the ESSN Head of Tactical Team, General Small Baba, who resides in the community, was passing by, accompanied by some of his operatives in a Toyota Sienna, the gunmen opened fire on them.
He (General Small Baba) was said to have escaped with bullet wounds, while three of his men lost their lives in the ambush.
It was also gathered that the rampaging armed men thereafter went to the residence of one Osas Orobor, a recently trained ESSN member, and shot him dead.
It was scooped further that after the killing of Orobor, the hoodlums started shooting sporadically, which later forced residents of the area to flee for safety at about 8 p.m. on Thursday.
When our correspondent visited the community, many houses around the scene of the attack were deserted.
The acting village head (Odionwere) of Okhunmwun Community, Pa. Monday Oviahon, was said to have been unavailable.
However, the former Vice Chairman of the Okhunmwun Community, Mr Aigbedion Ifa, said the attack was shocking.
He said he had already left the locality for Benin City when the Youth Leader (Okaighele), one Mr. Louis Ulamen, informed him of the attack, and he quickly notified teams of soldiers who accompanied him with others to the scene of the crime.
“When we got to the Uhogua junction on Okhunmwun Road, we saw Small Baba’s vehicle. The soldiers asked us to go back, and we started calling Small Baba to let him know that we were by his vehicle. He came out.
“Then we rushed them to UBTH. Five were dead and kept deposited in the mortuary. I later learned that my blood brother, Osas Orobor, was also killed,” Mr. Aigbedion stated.
When contacted, the youth leader of the community, Mr. Louis Ulamen, said he would speak on the aggression unleashed on his community on a later day.
Confirming the killings, the Public Relations Officer for Edo State Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, said Charles Aghedo, a prison escapee, reportedly led others to attack the community over a leadership tussle.
“The Okaighele of Okhunmwun Community, one Louis Ulamen, reported the incident at Ekiadolor Police Division along the Benin-Lagos Motorway.
“He identified some persons who have been troubling the community and have vowed to take over the leadership and control of the community by force,” the police spokesman stated.
SP Nwabuzor further said that upon the receipt of the information, police in Ekiadolor moved into the community, where six fatalities were evacuated.
He revealed that one single-barrel gun, one live ammunition, 62 expended cartridges, one Toyota Sienna with registration number BEN 973 TY, and a minibus marked RRU-431 ZE were recovered.
He said the police had made good progress as the investigation commenced.
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