Fear, confusion as RTEAN boss guns down members in Edo

Residents of Uromi in Esan North-East Local Government Area of Edo State are yet to come to terms with the tragedy that occurred in the community on December 19 when a Unit Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Onana Osua, ran amok and shot some members of RTEAN dead at their offices.

Osua, who is the RTEAN Unit II chairman in Uromi, killed three persons and severely injured three others. He was also killed by the police at Ubiaja in Esan South-East Local Government.

Spokesman for the Edo Police Command, DSP Osifo Abiodun, said the police acted in self-defence after the late Osua fired at his men.

Members of RTEAN now live in fear of possible reprisals by Osua’s boys who appear peeved that that their boss was murdered by rival RTEAN members in connivance with the police.

Feeding the fear is the fact that members of RTEAN in Uromi are yet to ascertain why Osua took to killing his members at RTEAN offices and their family members in cases where he missed his target. There are also fears of possible reprisals by his boys who seemed to believe that Osua was deliberately killed by the police in connivance with other RTEAN members.

Those shot dead were the Booking Clerk at RTEAN headquarters at Uromi, Mr. Sunday

Fear, confusion as RTEAN boss guns down members in Edo

Police impound arms-laden vehicle in Kwara

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The Police Command in Kwara State on Friday night arrested a truck conveying ammunition at Kosubosu, a border town in Baruten Local Government Area of the state.

The vehicle, with number plate Lagos XU 110 BDG, was believed to be coming from Burkina-Faso and on its way to Ibadan.

Police operatives of the Kosubosu Divisional Police Headquarters arrested the driver with another occupant of the vehicle.

A police source told NAN on Saturday that the ammunition, which comprised several cartons of cartridges, were hidden in the truck.

Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Salihu Garba, confirmed the incident.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajayi Okansanmi, said the police were carrying out further investigation into the matter.

“It is true, but investigation is still ongoing. That is the only thing I can say for now until the case is later transferred to the command headquarters for further investigation,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the council, Malam Mohammed Omar-Bio, described the incident as sad, especially at a time that elections were approaching.

The chairman, who was also at the police station, lauded personnel of the Nigeria Police Force in the area for their gallantry and doggedness.

The council boss warned people against engaging in any acts that would threaten the peace.

Omar-Bio assured security agencies in the area of the council’s help to enable them to perform their duties.

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Police impound arms-laden vehicle in Kwara

Gunmen kill a pastor in Edo

A gang of armed men have shot dead a pastor of a pentecostal church in Okhunmwun community in Ovia North East local government area of Edo State.

The victim, Godfrey Agbowanetan, was the pastor in charge of the Evidence of Gospel Church, Oko Central branch.

He was said have been shot by the robbers, who broke into his apartment at about 2:30am, after pulling down the burglary proof.

One the neighbours, who pleaded anonymity, said that one of the robbers rushed into the compound asking for the pastor.

But the wife of the deceased, Julie, explained that she was woken up by her husband who raised an alarm that some robbers had invaded the neighbouring building.

She said that the gunmen later shattered windows in one of the rooms before they shot her husband as he rushed into the room, leaving him in a pool of blood.

“At about 2:30am, my husband woke me up and told me that there were armed robbers in the next compound.

“Before we knew it, they had started breaking our window.

“I did not know when my husband rushed into the room where they saw him. Then, the next thing I knew was that they shot him,” she said.

Although the state police command could not be reached to confirm the incident, it was, however, learnt that the corpse of the late Agbowanetan had been deposited in a morgue.

Gunmen kill a pastor in Edo