Posted by By Osaro Okhomina on
ARMED men, disguised as normads and commercial bus drivers, weekend, invaded the border towns of Isua-Ibillo in Ondo and Edo States dispossessing travellers and other private vehicle owners of money and other valuables running into millions of naira.
BENIN CITY - ARMED men, disguised as normads and commercial bus drivers, weekend, invaded the border towns of Isua-Ibillo in Ondo and Edo States dispossessing travellers and other private vehicle owners of money and other valuables running into millions of naira.
Worried by the development and the anxiety it has created in his domain, paramount ruler of the Ibillo people in Akoko-Edo Local Government area of Edo State, the Onibillo of Ibillo, Oba J.O. Ogunubi yesterday sent a Save-Our-Soul message to the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Muktar Abass requesting that a Police mobile patrol unit be deployed to the red spot along the Ekiti, Kabba, Ido-ani and Owan communities to avert a recurrence of the robbery attacks.
Vanguard gathered that the armed men, numbering about ten had, as early as 8:00 am, laid siege to commercial buses plying the Lagos-Abuja road and hijacked two buses filled with passengers dispossessing them of their money and other belongings. It was gathered that the hijack was made possible with the alleged assistance of another group dressed like Hausa nomads, who blocked the major road with herds of cattle.
It was gathered that the operation lasted for about two hours and the drivers of the hijacked vehicles were later dumped in a bush path and some members of the gang drove the commercial bus for some time towards the Abuja end and abandoned it there, while they moved to an unknown destination with a red Jetta car.
According to an eyewitness, the passengers were either heading to Abuja or coming from the nation's capital city. "I was fortunate to have a little cash on me as they threatened to shoot dead anyone not found with cash. All GSM handsets were collected with cash."
Reacting however, the paramount ruler of one of the communities close to the border town, the Onibillo of Obillo, Oba J.O. Ogunnubi yesterday confirmed the activities of the armed men in the border area. He said the community has sent a signal to the state Police Command for help in the deployment of policemen to the town for surveillance and patrol work in order to check the cases of robbery incidents.
"The huge vehicular movement in the area between Abuja and Lagos causes most of the attacks. All we usually discover is that some commercial bus drivers and nomads turn around to attack their passengers or vehicles that broke down in the area and rob them."
Attempts to confirm the development yesterday from the State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Peter Ogboi failed, as he was reported to be out on assignment.