A Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Kazeem Raheem, alongside his orderly, Rabiu Bagobiri.as well as the leader of a vigilante group, Shehu Chaku, have been shot dead by terrorists Maru, a town in Zamfara State.
Penpushing reports that the terrorists who also abducted several people were said to have blocked the exits to the local government headquarters during the operation that lasted for over an hour on Sunday morning
The source in the community disclosed that the terrorists invaded the local government headquarters minutes after 1:00 a.m. and blocked the four exits of the premises, adding that they (terrorists) were in the town to abduct a local businessman, who owns a petroleum station.
“What happened was that the bandits followed him (the filling station owner) when he returned from Gusau to Maru. When he reached Maru, he went straight to his house and entered before they (bandits) came’, the source said
“When they reached the house and started shooting, he hid but they got his wife. She lied to them that he was not around, but they insisted that he was around. When she stood her ground, the bandits took her away alongside the house security watchman’, the source added.
Penpushing further reports that the source said the terrorists mounted roadblocks on all routes to avoid being caught unawares by security agents and vigilante members, stressing that the operation lasted for over an hour.
The Divisional Police Officer, another source said was killed outside the police station while he was waiting for some of his men, adding that the gunmen divided themselves into groups to carry out the operations
“What I heard this morning is that the bandits divided themselves into groups, so when the DPO came out to confront them, they were some of the bandits outside the police station monitoring police movement. He came from his house to organize a team but when he came out of the police station, the bandits stationed there opened fire and killed the DPO and his orderly’, the source said.
Penpushing also reports that the source explained that the Saulawa area where the police station is located, was taken over by the terrorists from 1:00 a.m. to 2:15 a.m., adding that they shot sporadically to scare residents.
“To the best of my knowledge, only a handful of vigilante members stood against the bandits but even they (vigilantes) withdrew when the superior power of the bandits became obvious. The policemen were also scared after their leader (DPO) was gunned down’, the source added.
Penpushing reports that as at the time of filing this report, the Zamfara State Police Public Relations Officer Mohammed Shehu, was yet to make any official reaction or statement over the ugly and sad development.
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