Posted by By Osaro Okhomina & Simon Ebegbulem on
TWENTY-FOUR hours after Governor Lucky Igbinedion ordered a security alert in the state over a surge in cases of armed robbery attacks on residents and banks, bandits yesterday attacked operators of the Bureau de Change and spare part dealers in Benin, killing four persons and wounding five others.
BENIN CITY - TWENTY-FOUR hours after Governor Lucky Igbinedion ordered a security alert in the state over a surge in cases of armed robbery attacks on residents and banks, bandits yesterday attacked operators of the Bureau de Change and spare part dealers in Benin, killing four persons and wounding five others.
The attack, which heightened fear among the residents of the state capital caused the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Philomen Leha to summon a security meeting with officers of the command and the Divisional Police Officers of the affected areas to modify security strategies in their domain.
Vanguard gathered that the armed robbers struck at the popular spare part market in the Ewareke/Uwelu area of Egor Local Government Council around noon on Wednesday and shot dead four persons in their bid to beat the attempt by some bold dealers to resist them, while the attack on the bureau de change market at Erie along Sakponba road area took place at around 3pm with four persons reportedly sustaining gun shot wounds.
It was gathered that the robbers that stormed the busy spare part market were seven in number and armed with sophisticated weapons. According to an eye-witness account, the robbers headed straight for the stores targeted for attack and dispossessed them of their valuables and cash. "The robbers started shooting at the entrance of the market where they discovered that some persons have locked the only entrance out of the market. The shooting resulted in a stampede and the death of some persons."
A member of the spare parts dealers union confirmed to Vanguard yesterday that some members of the market and customers were affected by the attack.
However, few hours after the attack on the spare part market, another robbery gang invaded the bureau de change market located by the Erie Area of Sakpponba road causing panic among workers of different companies located in the area.
The robbers, according to eyewitness, arrived the market from the adjourning street and raided the stores owned by Hausa and Igbo operators, shooting sporadically into the air and shot some of those reportedly trying to resist. A resident of the area, Mr Iziegbe Okha who witnessed the attack told Vanguard that "they were six in number and they were armed with dangerous weapons. The sound of their gun shots was so deafening that all workers and vehicular movement in the area stopped. The operation lasted for about 45 minutes without the police coming to our rescue."
Contacted yesterday on the incident, the spokesperson of the state Police Command, Mr Peter Ogboi confirmed that the robbery operation were parts of the attacks brought to the notice of the command and that the men of the anti-robbery section have been put on red alert in the state, saying "we can not confirm whether people died in the attack but we are already investigating the incidents."