Gunmen In Military Uniform Kill 3 Cops, Kidnap Bizman
The Rivers State Police Command has launched an investigation into the killing of three policemen and the abduction of an oil mogul, Mr Seni Awosike by gunmen dressed in military camouflage.
The Police public relations officer (PPRO) in the state, Grace IringeKoko, disclosed this SMS messages sent to journalists yesterday.
Awosike, who is the managing director of IGPES Oil and Gas Company, was kidnapped on Thursday evening when the gunmen opened fire on the vehicle he was in, killing the three policemen instantly.
However, only the driver of the vehicle escaped by jumping out of the vehicle.
An eyewitness told newsmen that the gunmen, who rode in a Green Toyota Sienna vehicle, were flashing light on the victims to stop.
He said when Awosike noticed that they were in military camouflage, he mistook them for genuine military men and asked the driver to stop the vehicle.
The eyewitness stated that it was at the point of inquiring why they were flashing them light, the gunmen opened fire at close range and killed the three policemen before taking the oil mogul away to an unknown destination.
Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abia State command said it has curtailed pipeline vandals and oil thieves in the state to the barest.
The public relations officer (PRO) of the command, Agu Ndukwe stated this yesterday in an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend in Umuahia, the state capital.
He said this followed improved surveillance, campaign and change in strategy by the command which is more of preventive measures than routine patrol.
He commended the new state commandant, Muhammad Sanyinna for his untiring effort to end the menace, he adding that the measures have been working well for them.
Similarly, a resident of Owaza, one of the oil-bearing communities in Ukwa West local government area of the state, Comrade Godwin Ekeke, confirmed the NSCDC report.
He however alleged that oftentimes, the "havoc is perpetrated by unemployed and misguided youths with the connivance of security personnel and sometimes community leaders."
A community leader in Oguduasa in Isuikwuato local government area where a pipeline fire disaster claimed many lives over a decade ago, Elder Willy Ogbonna, said "since then the thieves have learnt their lesson."