Bandits shot a police operative dead in Bayelsa State on Tuesday, August 19, after robbing him of his mobile phone.
The Punch reports that the slain policeman man identified as Obot Godwin, was killed around the Amarata area of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, where he went to buy medicine.
According to the newspaper, the slain operative was pleading with the gunmen to return his phone before he was shot in the head.
The report also reveals that the police have carried out indiscriminate arrests in the area, including the destruction of houses and the tear-gassing school children, causing residents to flee.
“Windows were smashed during the police raid, and the community has been left in fear of further violence,” a source told the newspaper.
“Every time, we continue to run. This morning, we started running again. They just killed somebody,” another source said, adding that the area is noted for clashes between rival cult groups.
Musa Mohammed, the police spokesperson in the state, confirmed the incident to Premium Times on Saturday.
“It is correct. Arrests have been made,” Mr Mohammed told our reporter.
The incident occurred about four months after gunmen suspected to be militants killed an operative of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps in the state. The officer was killed when gunmen ambushed their patrol van at Igbomotoru community in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state.
According to the newspaper, the patrol team was returning from a clampdown at an illegal bunkering site when the incident occurred.
In 2022, Vanguard reported that suspected gunmen killed a police operative along Idema-Otuabagi Road in Ogbia Local Government Area of the state.
The slain officer, along with four others, the newspaper reported, were returning from their colleague’s burial in Rivers State when they came under attack.
