Killing: Sowore’s brother was a victim not target — Police

The spokesman of the Edo State Police, SP Kontongs Bello, yesterday, said late Sowore Felix Olajide, was not a target but a victim who ran into kidnappers during their operation.

This is just as he said that the police and vigilante have been combing the bush in the last 24 hours to rescue the five kidnapped victims and arrest the perpetrators.

Olagide, younger brother of Omoyele Sowore, Publisher of Sahara Reporters, a Pharmacy student of Igbenedion

University, Okada, was shot dead by suspected kidnappers on Saturday morning in Edo State.

Kontongs, who stated this while addressing journalists in Benin, said it was necessary to inform the public because of the panic that the death of Sowore was creating among the public, especially in Edo residents.

“Sowore was not one of the occupants of the bus in which five persons were kidnapped.

“He was just someone that ran into the incident. He was coming and met the situation on ground.

“Sowore was coming from Okada to Benin. He was just a victim. The kidnappers tried to stop him, but he refused to stop. They were shooting, the bullet hit his car and one of the bullets got him, and he died on the spot.”

Kontongs said the commercial bus that was heading towards Lagos broke down around 2am on Saturday.

“The occupants looked for somewhere to sleep and early in the morning, they came with the intention to pack their belongings from the bus, but unknown to them, the kidnappers have laid ambush, and immediately opened on the bus in an attempt to create fear in them,” he added.

He said the search team rescued three of the occupants of the bus who were hiding in the bush after they had escaped and brought to the station.

“Bush combing has started. The commissioner of police, Philip Ogbadu, has directed the tactical team to join the Divisional police headquarters at Okada and vigilante for the bush combing since yesterday to arrest the assistants and rescue the five victims,” he said.