Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
There was tension at Upper Sakponba Road, in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State following sporadic gunshots at the gate of the Edo State Command of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) as men of the operatives pursued a driver of an articulated vehicle who was said to have hit their vehicle.
It was said that the vehicle was moving towards Oka Market, which is about five hundred meters from the state command.
It was said that while the vehicle was approaching the gate of the NDLEA, officers who were said to have been alerted by their colleagues pursuing the trailer, began to shoot.
They deflated about seven tires of the vehicle, while the driver kept moving.
The shooting caused commotion, as traders and residents took to their heels, probably to avoid being hit by stray bullets. Others were confused, not sure of what caused the sporadic gunshots.
A source who preferred anonymity said that the driver brushed their vehicle on the way, and that every effort by the officers to stop him so they could settle the matter proved abortive; hence the gunshots and deflation of the tires.
“It was a simple thing; they jammed our men, but the officers tried to stop him so that they could settle, but the driver refused to stop. That is why the men have been shooting to stop him. Even after bursting about seven tires, he was still running, but we have caught him and they are bringing him back to our office,” he concluded.
However, calls and messages sent to the Commander, Edo State NDLEA command, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, were not responded to at the time of going to press.