Gunmen, believed to be armed, launched an attack on an Army patrol van in Edo State on Wednesday, resulting in the death of a soldier and the theft of bags suspected to contain cash.
The military vehicle, carrying three soldiers, was en route to Ikpoba Hill when the robbery transpired around 2.10 pm. The assailants, driving an unmarked Toyota Camry car against traffic near Akpakpava Road’s First Junction, confronted the military vehicle. Two out of the four occupants of the Camry reportedly disembarked and commenced gunfire on the soldiers.
Faced with the threat, the three soldiers abandoned their patrol vehicle and the bags, making a hasty retreat on foot.
Eyewitnesses recounted that the armed men seized the bags from the patrol van after the soldiers had fled the scene. One of the soldiers attempting to escape suffered an injury and was unable to continue. His companions returned to assist him, but they were reportedly unable to provide aid.
In response to inquiries, Captain Yusuf Sokoya, the Public Relations Officer of the 4 Brigade Nigerian Army headquarters in Benin City, responded briefly, stating, “I will find out if it is true. Don’t call again, I will call you.” However, there was no subsequent communication from Sokoya by the time of publication.
On the other hand, SP Chidi Nwabuzor, the state Police Public Relations Officer, confirmed the incident. Nwabuzor stated, “The Edo State Police Command can confirm that a soldier was killed on Wednesday in Benin City. A good Nigerian reported the incident at the police station covering that neighborhood. The hoodlums carted away bags believed to have been loaded with cash kept inside the Army van.”