A petty trader near the Divisional Police Station in Afuze, Mrs. Ruth Ifijeh, yesterday, gave a graphic account on how the attack on the station by four gunmen claimed the lives of the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the division and three other policemen who were on duty on Tuesday night.
Describing the attack as “a wonder” beyond the imagination of everybody in the area, Mrs Ifijeh said, “I thought that day was my last day but God said no, time never reach.
“The people I saw outside were four in number and they had opened fire immediately they
“I saw only four outside with my eyes before God and man. I don’t know any other thing. I have been here for about 10 years. This kind of thing has never happened in this place
“The DPO was our father here, he was a very nice man to us, very good man. It was not up to one year the DPO came here”, she said
The Secretary to Owan East Local Government Council, Mr. Godwin Imoudu, said the entire people of the council were mourning the sad event, describing the late DPO as a quintessential police man who stood for peace and worked tirelessly towards the peaceful coexistence of all segments of people of the local
He recalled that the late DPO (Superintendent Tosimani Ojo) who was a member of the Council’s Peace and Security Committee, “was very neutral during the
According to a source in Afuze, the gunmen on arrival to the
The source said it was one of the rescuers who few minutes after the attack broke open the door to discover to their shock the lifeless bodies of the policemen.
Following the attack on the police station, a joint team of security operatives including soldiers, anti-riot mobile policemen, officials of the Directorate of the State Service (DSS) and other agencies was yesterday drafted to Afuze, headquarters of Owan East local government area of Edo State.
Also included in the joint security outfit are regular policemen led by DPOs from various divisions in Edo North senatorial district and men of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who were ready for action yesterday with over 10 patrol vans stationed outside the secretariat complex of the Owan East Council.
In a bid to demonstrate their preparedness, members of the joint security outfit patrolled round Afuze town with a vow to arrest the perpetrators of the attack which left the police station and vehicles destroyed with improvised explosive devices (IDEs) deployed by the gunmen.
Besides, hunters and vigilante groups within the local government have been deployed to track down the fleeing attackers, just as the state police command, the state government and management of Owan East council have vowed to ensure that the suspects and brought to book.
Apart from the DPO, others who lost their lives during the attack included Sergeant Justina Aghomon (a pregnant policewoman), Inspector Sado Isaac and Corporal Glory David.
Meanwhile, family members of one of the deceased officers, late Inspector Sadoh Isaac, yesterday demanded for justice over the death of their bread winner.
Second son of the late Inspector, Mr. Sadoh Louis, 36, told newsmen that his father was due for retirement in few years but had died in active service of his fatherland.
He described his late father as ‘a lion and tiger’ who remained fearless while in service as an exceptional police officer who stood for justice, peace and love for both his family and all throughout his profession.
