Lagos was yesterday spared another high profile killing when assassins attacked the vehicle conveying Chief Vincent Obianodo, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Young Shall Grow transport company to his FESTAC residence.
Chief Obianodo escaped, but his driver and Corporal Ngozi Chijioke attached to Patrol and Guard, were not lucky. They were killed. The transport boss was shot in the hand. Two of the attackers were killed by the police.
The hoodlums were said to have attempted to kill the transporter but were repelled by his police escort .
The suspected assassins trailed him while leaving his office and got him close to his house in FESTAC Town.
The gunmen had fired directly at him, but his driver was on the alert as he sped off and the assassins started raining bullets at his vehicle.
The police escort from Patrol and Guard unit attached to him was said to have engaged the hoodlums in a gun duel.
The Area ‘E’ Commander, Mr. Dan Okoro, who got a distress call, mobilised his men and stormed the scene.
After the shoot-out, two suspects and Corporal Chijioke were shot dead.
A police officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Daily Sun that it was an assassination attempt. “Why we believed so, was that the gunmen fired to kill the man. If it was a kidnap attempt, the gunmen would not want to kill him. The way they fired at the man showed that they wanted him dead,” he said.
The state police command’s spokesperson, Ngozi Braide, said the transporter was accosted by some gunmenaround 22 Road Festac Town.
“The hoodlums opened fire at him and his driver was shot dead. The man was shot on his hand and a police corporal attached to him was also killed,” she said.
According to her, a patrol team that heard the gunshots raced to the scene and on sighting the patrol team, the hoodlums opened fire at the policemen.
Ngozi noted that policemen responded and the scene was turned to a battlefield. “When the dust settled, the police shot dead two of the hoodlums and others escaped with bullet wounds.
She said the bandits’ Toyota Highlander Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) was perforated with bullets, adding that the police recovered one AK 47, one AK 49 riffles and eight magazines loaded with ammunition.
Braide said the gunmen’s motive was still unknown, noting that, “because we cannot just narrow it down to assassination, kidnapping or armed robbery until investigation is concluded.”
However, the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko, has appealed to hospitals and members of the public to report anyone with bullet wounds to the nearest police station.
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