THE Ughelli-Asaba expressway in Delta State was like a battle field yesterday, as armed robbers massacred the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, in-charge of Abraka Police Station, Abraka, Ethiope-East Local Government Area of the state, five other policemen, two soldiers and three civilians.
Sources gathered that the bandits, who killed the DPO, Mr. Steve Chigbufuea, Superintendent of Police, SP, who was travelling to Police Headquarters, Asaba, for an official engagement, shot him dead and two of his men, among them an Inspector.
Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Charles Muka, who confirmed the killing of the policemen, however, said five of the armed robbers were rounded up by the police when they struck at a new generation bank at Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area of the state, later in the day.
Muka told reporters that the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Ikechukwu Aduba, would brief the press on the latest incident at Asaba, where the bandits would be paraded.
A source also learnt however, that an Assistant Superintendent of Police, ASP, based at Ogwashi-Uku is among the six police casualties.
The two soldiers were believed to be among the security operatives on joint patrol, while the three civilians were victims of circumstance, having found themselves in a theatre of war.
Traffic congestion
A source who was travelling from Warri to Asaba told newsmen yesterday afternoon: “It is a serious matter, there was a serious traffic congestion, we could not move further. We were going for the visit of the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, to the state to commission a project, but we had to turn back to Warri because the road was not safe.
“There was fright and tension everywhere as the robbers overpowered the security agents and under such circumstance, it would be foolhardy for us to continue our journey on the road that armed security agents were killed in less than three minutes by gunmen.”
It was gathered that the robbers waylaid the DPO and his team to collect weapons for their operation, while they indiscriminately opened fire on the soldiers to prevent them from stopping them or coming after them when the news of the killing of the DPO spreads.
But Muka said the police confronted and arrested five of them at a new generation bank in Ibusa, where they went to minutes later to rob the bank.
The robbery operation caused panic in the state in view of the visit of the First Lady.
A police source who spoke to newsmen at about 7.00 pm said: “It was like a war in Delta State, armed robbers, suspected to be aggrieved ex-militants, unleashed a reign of terror on security agents, killing about five policemen and two soldiers.
“The most feared policeman in the state, Danladi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, who goes about killing armed robbers was himself killed in addition to the DPO, Abraka Police Station and three of his men.”
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