Four policemen attached to the Nasarawa state deputy governor and one commercial driver were shot dead by robbers who attacked the convoy on Tuesday night.
The deputy governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe who was on his way to Abuja to attend a function ran into a gang of robbers numbering over twenty at the popular spot known as ‘many have gone’ along the Akwanga/Lafia high way at about 6:47 pm.
According to eye witness report, the robbers were already operating when the convoy of the deputy governor made up of four vehicles and without a pilot van except one Hilux van conveying four policemen.
“When we got to that spot the security back up van used as the pilot van knowing that the robbers were operating tried to scare them by shooting so as to allow the deputy governor’s convoy to move on.
Other victims who witnessed the operation said that the robbers were wearing army uniform and even directing the convoy of the governor to pull out of the operation unknown to them that the men on uniform are the robbers.
“Unknown to the police officers, the robbers who were fully armed ambushed the convoy and opened fire on the security van killing four and one of which is the escort driver.”
The eye witness went further saying “even the vehicle of the SSS next to the deputy governor’s was shot leaving two tyres flat. The gun fire from the robbers was both from the ground and the hill.
“When it became obvious that the deputy governor’s vehicle was the next in the attack, we had to smuggle him (the deputy governor) into one golf car and pleaded with him to move out of the scene. That was how we saved him.”
The eye witness revealed that the robbers went away with the guns and six magazines belonging to the slain police officers.
The police public relation officer of the Nasarawa command, Usman Ismaila, confirmed the incidence saying that when the commissioner of police was immediately alerted he drove to the area with some top officers at about 8:30 pm.
The bodies of the slain officers were moved out of the Arafat specialist hospital in the early hours of Wednesday for burial.
Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday at the government house Lafia after an expansive security meeting, Governor Abdullahi Sule confirmed the attack on the deputy governor’s convoy leading to the death of five people.
Sule said that from security investigation the attackers were chased from other nearby states and decided to unleash their wicked act.
The governor assured that the robbers will certainly be fished out. He stated that the police and other security force will be deployed both land and air to find the perpetrators.
Also speaking the state police commissioner Mr Adebola Longe said the convoy of the deputy governor ran into the robbery operation though the attack was not targeted at the deputy governor.
Longe said the force has declared a manhunt against the attackers, saying that the perpetrators dealt with decisively.
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