Connect with us

National

Anxiety as gunmen shoot DPO’s eye in Edo

Published

on

Suspected gunmen have shot the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Igarra, the headquarters of Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State, Suleiman Muhammed, along the Auchi-Igarra-Ibillo road.

Congress learnt the incident took place few metres away from Sasaro at 7 pm on Tuesday, leaving many commuters stranded.

Source said stranded commuters had to wait until the local vigilante members went to evacuate the seriously-injured DPO.

An official of the vigilante group from Igarra narrated that the DPO was shot in the eye, arm and stomach probably with AK-47 rifles.

He said “The DPO had earlier called us in the morning to a place where they said some suspected yahoo boys constituted a nuisance, then later around 3 pm, he told us that suspected kidnappers were blocking the road.

“So, we went there and chased the kidnappers away. I was told that later in the evening, after inspecting the change of guard, the DPO proceeded in his Toyota Camry car to Auchi where his family resides.

“The gunmen laid ambush after the MTN mast near Sasaro and shot the DPO many times. They thought he was dead and then abandoned him.

“Their gunshots made motorists going to Auchi and coming from Auchi to stop until we arrived at the scene in company with the police to rush the DPO to the hospital.

“He was bleeding profusely because he was shot. After stabilizing him, he was rushed to Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital in Edo State.”

Edo Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Bello Kontongs, stated that he was on official assignment outside Edo when contacted.

IMG-20230118-WA0017