Suspected armed robbers on Wednesday allegedly attacked an army patrol van in Benin City, Edo State, killing a soldier, and carted away a ‘Ghana-Must-Go bag believed to have been loaded with cash.
According to reports, three soldiers were said to have been in the military vehicle that was heading towards the Ikpoba-hill axis of the Benin metropolis when the gunmen ambushed them.
According to Nigerian Tribune, the assailants drove an unmarked ash-color Toyota Camry car against the traffic (one way) towards the army vehicle, then two of the four occupants allegedly alighted and opened fire on the soldiers.
The report stated that amid the rain of bullets, the three soldiers were said to have abandoned their patrol vehicle and the loaded Ghana-must-go bag as they raced in different directions for safety.
Eyewitnesses told the publication that the attackers grabbed the bag from the military patrol van, dropped it in their operational Toyota Camry, and sped off like a scene in a gangster movie.
It could not, however, be ascertained whether the soldiers were armed and had their arms taken away by the suspected robbers.
Some hawkers who witnessed the incident said many people around them would have died if the soldiers had the opportunity to respond to the gunfire of their attackers.
“One of the three soldiers fell down there while running away; he tried to get up, but he couldn’t; he was just bleeding. Later, his two other colleagues came out to meet him, but they were helpless,” a shop owner said.
Another shop owner said, “Imagine a popular and busy Junction like this; the government cannot install security cameras to record whatever is going on here; it’s unfortunate.”
The spokesman for Edo State Police Command, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, who confirmed the incident said a soldier was killed when hoodlums attacked a military patrol vehicle at the first Junction, Akpakpava Road, Benin City, some minutes past 2 p.m. on Wednesday.
“Edo State Police Command can confirm that a military personnel was killed today (Wednesday) in Benin City,” the PPRO stated.
“A good Nigerian reported the incident at the police station covering that neighbourhood. The hoodlums carted away a Ghana-Must-Go bag believed to have been loaded with cash kept inside the army van.
“Since they were in their patrol vehicle, they should be armed. The assailants acted on the information. The investigation will unravel all that,” SP Chidi Nwabuzor stated.
