BY MIKE OSAROGIAGBON
In what appears to be endless reign of violent killings in parts of Edo State, gunmen suspected to be cultists, again dastardly murdered three persons in Benin City, the state capital on Sunday night.
The latest incident which replicated the barbaric and mindless killings of several persons last December, put a bold question mark on the effectiveness of the strategies adopted by Edo State police Command to sustain the fragile relative security in the state.
The trio, Denco, Ariba and one other yet to be identified were separately murdered at various spots in the ancient city of Benin Kingdom.
Denco was said to have met his death in a bar at Igun junction by Igbesanmwan and Oza Street, of Sokponba Road in Benin.
The second victim Ariba was killed inside his room, after he allegedly got drunk and left his house doors opened, just as the third casualty was killed at 2nd East Circular area of the city.
It would be recalled that between the eve of last Christmas and New Year, gunmen under the guise of cultism freely killed and maimed their perceived rivals pushing residents to a crossroad as to whether the services of the police as the lead security outfit have been withdrawn from Edo State.
Among the casualties recorded last December were an ace presenter with the Independent Radio and Television Stations, RADIO/TV, Benin, Mr. Hillary Nosa Odia and tactical head of vigilante, identified simply as Osagie.
Bullet riddled bodies of youths killed by assailants littered most streets in Benin City as relevant agencies had hectic time evacuating them.
Most hospitals and mortuaries in the City Centre hit maximum capacity while others declined to accept wounded patients and corpses.
At the time of this report, no record of arrest, prosecution and possible conviction of suspects have been released by the police or any other security agency in the State.
Attempts to obtain comments from the Public Relations Officer for Edo State police Command SP Chidi Nwabuzor failed.
Meanwhile, he was quoted in some reports as saying: “until we see our report coming from there (scene of crime), I will not be able to make a statement, whatever I would say will be from the report that is coming from that place.”
