Some suspected armed Fulani herders were intercepted by the police near Ekewan Barracks in Edo State on Monday, February 8, 2021.
This sparked outrage from residents, as the alleged Fulani Herdsmen claimed they came from the Southwestern and Eastern regions of the country.
They were caught with several ammunitions.
Unknown gunmen had reportedly intercepted a funeral van and abducted a man who was taking his brother’s corpse from Lagos to Enugu for burial at the Benin bypass in Edo.
An eyewitness, Osamudiamen Odia, disclosed he was part of those who went to rescue the driver. He said, “Upon sighting the ambulance, the armed bandits opened fire on the driver but he managed to escape the bullets of the dare-devil kidnappers. The driver of the vehicle behind him was not lucky as he was hit by stray bullets and died instantly.
The sporadic gunshots forced the vehicle driver to an emergency stop and the vehicle fell into a nearby ditch. The younger brother of the deceased who was sitting in front was kidnapped and taken into the bush”.
Narrating his experience, the vehicle driver had said, “I carried this dead from Lagos and the destination was Enugu. The body of the dead man had been in the mortuary in Lagos and it was being conveyed to Enugu State for burial.
“When I saw the kidnappers I thought they were policemen and they started firing on sighting us. I had to bend down and the bullet hit the driver behind me.”
Reports say the kidnappers were demanding 5 Million Naira as ransom.
The state police public relations officer, Chidi Nwabuzor, said some suspects were arrested along the bypass route, hence security in the area has been beefed up while investigations are ongoing.