In the past two weeks, Warri, Delta State, has been in the grip of suspected hoodlums, who have laid siege to the oil city as they go about terrorising residents of the area and killing local security operatives.
Already, the hoodlums have succeeded in killing five operatives of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria around Merogun and Enerhen communities, resulting in some residents abandoning their houses for the fear of being attacked.
One of those killed was the VGN provost for Delta State, simply identified as Folorunsho.
Folorunsho was killed near Odibo Estate in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area of the state.
No man in his right senses would still want to live in this area after what we have all passed through. You need to hear the kind of gunshot sounds we were hearing yesterday night. I am taking my family to a safe area
The VGN provost, who also doubled as the Public Relations Officer of the vigilance group of “A” Divisional Police Station, Warri, was unarmed and alone at the time some unknown gunmen suddenly opened fire on him and killed him.
The Enerhen Divisional Police Officer, Chief Superintendent of Police Emmanuel Yakubu, declined to comment on the matter, but a source within the police station, who craved anonymity, confirmed the report.
According to a police source, Folorunsho was shot dead by gunmen suspected to be armed robbers at about 9pm last Tuesday as he was about to board his car, somewhere around the Enerhen Divisional Police Station.
The seriously injured VGN provost was quickly rushed to an undisclosed hospital in the area, where he was confirmed dead by the doctors on duty.
The police described the incident as “unfortunate”, saying that they had spread their dragnet in search of the killers of the vigilance group chief.
The Delta State Commissioner of Police, Zanna Ibrahim, said he had yet to be briefed about the incident as at the time of filing this report.
Another vigilance group member, popularly called Moses, was shot dead around the Merogun community area.
An eyewitness, Mr. John Bawo, said Moses met his untimely death when members of the Merogun Community in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State engaged one another in a fierce gun battle over a disputed piece of inherited land.
“The Merogun family has been having issues concerning land ownership, when the local vigilance group in the area approached them to find out what was happening. In the process, they started to exchange gun shots with them, leading to the death of Moses,” Bawo said.
The eyewitness said all efforts to revive Moses, when he was rushed to a nearby hospital, did not yield any positive result as the doctor on duty said he had lost a lot of blood before he was brought in. The doctor later confirmed him dead and his body has since being deposited at the Warri Central Hospital morgue.
Bawo claimed that the recent killing of both Folorunsho and Moses had brought the number of vigilance group members killed in the area to five, adding that it had now become “very risky” for the local security men to operate in the area as they had now become the target of suspected armed robbers and hoodlums.
Consequently, many residents have fled their homes due to the sporadic gunshots that usually disturb the peace of the area, especially at night.
A resident, Mr. Timothy Ovie, said though no resident had been injured, he could no longer risk his life by living in the community, where guns had continued to boom almost on a daily basis.
“No man in his right senses would still want to live in this area after what we have all passed through. You need to hear the kind of gunshot sounds we were hearing yesterday night. I am taking my family to a safe area. I don’t want to be caught in the next crossfire between this family members and hoodlums,” he said.
Another resident, who identified herself as Mrs. Jane Onoriode, said the community members had continued to live in perpetual fear, following the killing of the vigilance group operatives.
Onoriode added that people in the area no longer had sound sleep every night.
“We are living in fear everyday because of what happened. We are no longer safe in this area and we are pleading with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to come to our aid. We do not want to die before our time. As the number one security officer of the state, Governor Okowa should order the state police commissioner to beef up security in this area,” she said.
Other residents said the security situation in the area had always degenerated, especially towards the end of the year.
The Divisional Police Officer “A” Division in Warri, Zuokumor, said although there was a “fracas” in the area in which he personally intervened, “I am not aware of any shootings overnight in the
area.”
He, however, said he had since invited both parties involved in the Merogun land dispute for a meeting in his office.
The Delta State Acting Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Andrew Aniamaka, also denied any knowledge of the incident.
