Six persons have been killed while yet to be ascertained number of others have been kidnapped in an ambush by suspected bandits on the River Niger Bridge at Itobe, in the Ajaokuta Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Our correspondent gathered that those killed were returning from West African Ceramics when the bus they were travelling in was ambushed and shot at.
In the process, six ocupants of the bus, including two police Inspectors, two expatriates later identified to be Indian Nationals, and two drivers were killed, while others were marched into the bush.
The incident, according to sources, happened on Friday night at about 7:30pm, when the deceased and kidnapped victims were returning from their workplace at West African Ceramics located in Ajaokuta.
A source, who preferred anonymity, said, “It is another black day for us in Ajaokuta. We are still mourning the killings of seven officers, and the kidnapping of three children. Now another tragic incident has happened again.
“The deceased and kidnapped victims weee going back to their Niger Bridge Estate before they were ambushed. They are working with West African Ceramics. The police officers exchanged gun fire with these criminals but unfortunately, two of them were killed alongside an Indian man, a driver and one other person inside the vehicle. The name of the driver is Muhammed. Also, three foreigners have been taken to the bush by these unidentified gunmen.”
The Kogi State Police Command spokesman, SP William Aya, while confirming the killings on Saturday, stated that “two expatriates, two company drivers and two Police Inspectors died in the exchange of fire with the hoodlums, before the Area Commander and a detachment of Military in the area reinforced to the scene of incident, and the attackers fled.
“Consequent upon the attacks on expatriates of West Africa Ceramics Company Ajaokuta and Police escort at about 2000hrs of Friday 5th of August, 2022, the Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Police Command, CP Edward Egbuka, has visited the scene for on-the-spot assessment and has equally ordered the deployment of additional operational assets consisting of Operatives of the Police Mobile Force, Counter Terrorism Unit, Quick Response Unit, State Intelligence Bureau in synergy with other security agencies to restore normalcy in the area.
“The CP assures that the Command is committed to working in synergy with other security agencies as well as patriotic stakeholders to make the state a safe and secure place for all and sundry.
“He has further tasked the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) to commence investigations into the unfortunate incident so as to unravel the remote and immediate cause of the attack with a view to bringing the perpetrators to book.”
