Gunmen reportedly murdered seven people, including three policemen, in an ambush on Apostle Johnson Suleman’s convoy on Friday along the Benin Auchi Road in Edo State.
According to information obtained by The PUNCH, Suleman had just returned from a trip abroad and was traveling through Edo State when gunmen opened fire on his convoy in the Auchi region of the state.
The gunmen allegedly killed three of Suleman’s police orderlies and four unidentified people when they opened fire on his convoy during the attack.
Suleman’s lawyer, Samuel Amune, who confirmed the attack to our correspondent, said the cleric just returned from a program in Tanzania, adding that he escaped death by a whisker.
He said, “He was returning from a journey and he had almost on the shores of Auchi when some assassins attacked him. Three of his police orderlies, among others died. He travelled before and just finished a program in Tanzania.
“He was returning to Auchi when the gunmen attacked him along Sabingida down to Warake area, and Auchi shares direct boundary with Warake. So, he had passed Warake and was entering the boundaries of Auchi when the attack happened.”
A security expert, Dickson Osajie, who condemned the lack of security in the state, said the attack happened in broad daylight.
He said, “They attacked him (Suleman); seven people including a policeman were killed. The country is not safe; our can people move around with guns at the express and they are not detected. It is a disturbing situation.”
Chuidi Nwabuzor, the state police public relations officer, verified the attack when he was contacted.
He said that six people, including police officers and Suleman’s drivers, had died. He also added that efforts were being made to find a domestic staff member.
He further mentioned that one of the attackers was shot and killed during the assault.
GOGAN TV