(DCO) of the Ikere-Ekiti divisional police station that was attacked
by a gang of daredevil armed robbers who killed two police officers and
three other civilians, including a 25-year-old female corps member, the
late Miss Uguwoke Oyinyechi Edith that fateful day, November 25.
According to the Sun,
The Ebonyi State-born Itumah, was one of the unfortunate police
officers killed by the rampaging robbers when they simultaneously
attacked the police station and a new generation bank in Ikere Ekiti.
“He didn’t fall to the robbers’ bullets. They shot him but that didn’t
work on him. He didn’t have his rifle when they stormed his office, he
ran into a corner of his office and locked himself in so that he could have enough time to prepare for them, but the robbers were too many for him, over five of them must have broken into his office to grab him.
They lifted his feet off the ground and shot him. That was when the
bullet penetrated into his body and finished him”.“The man was
ill-fated. He just had three months to retire from the police, it was
after they finished him and succeeded in sending off every other officer that they went for the police armoury in the office and emptied it”, the eyewitness said.
Another, who also craved anonymity, spoke about the female police
sergeant that was killed while she was making effort to scale the fence
of the police command. He said:
“The female police officer that was killed was popularly known as Iya
Joel by everyone in this area. We know her as a very nice woman, very
friendly and good to all.”
Those who murdered poor Itumah didn’t know that they have tampered with
the lives of seven of his children, five girls and two boys, four of
whom are already in institutions of higher learning while the younger
two are in secondary school. The deceased was solely shouldering the responsibility of these children, including their mum, a petty trader.
“I can confirm that there was a simultaneous attack on the police
station and the bank office by a group of armed robbers numbering
between 35 and 40, according to eyewitnesses. It was a spontaneous
attack and our men responded and there was gun exchange, some of the
robbers were fatally shot regrettably and unfortunately, we lost two of
our men, a female sergeant and an officer whose identities we don’t want to disclose now because we haven’t formally informed their families.
“The two police personnel didn’t die immediately, they were rushed to
the hospital but they died in the hospital. Also, a female corps member
who was using the ATM in the bank was also shot dead. Our armoury was
not attacked, it is intact.
“Although, the robbers later escaped into the bush, some of them were
fatally shot and adequate personnel have been mobilized to be on their
trail as we speak.