Palpable tension engulfed parts of Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti state capital after unknown gunmen suspected to be armed robbers killed a middle aged motorist identified simply as Mr. Olasunkanmi Joseph.
According to Punch, the masked assailants were said to have caught up with the man in his car around the Irona area of the capital city on Thursday, April 6, 2023.
Sources told the publication that the gunmen trailed the man and attacked him when he got stuck in traffic.
“It was as if he knew he was being trailed, judging by the manner he drove to that point but his assailants caught up with him in the traffic congestion, when he could no longer move. The gunmen, who were dressed in black dragged him out of the car to the ground. They shot him dead. They carried a sack from his car and zoomed off in their car. Nobody can say exactly what the bag contained, whether money or another thing,” he said.
The Nation, however, reported that the gunmen carted away N10m the deceased went to withdraw from a commercial bank in Ado-Ekiti, adding that he was on his way home when the incident happened.
A roadside trader in the area, who craved anonymity, said the victim was chased to the area and was trying to negotiate the roundabout when he was held down by the heavy traffic and was blocked by the assailants.
Also speaking, a middle-aged man who simply identified himself as Paul, narrated that the victim was trying to escape from the area, but the heavy traffic in the area held him down before he was shot by the assailants who rode on a motorcycle.
“The man already knew he was being pursued as he tried to manoeuvre the roundabout in haste. But he was held down by traffic congestion, ”he said.
The incident resulted in a pandemonium as commuters, roadside traders and passersby scampered for safety as the gunmen shot sporadically.
Meanwhile, a Facebook user, Aje Smith, who identified the victim fondly as Mr. Jossy, a POS operator, said that he rescued them during the hardship caused by cash scarcity.
Spokesperson of the State police Command, Sunday Abutu, who confirmed the incident, said that investigation has commenced.
“We got the information and investigation has commenced to ensure the arrest and prosecution of those that perpetrated the act. The Commissioner of Police is enjoining anyone with useful information concerning the incident and/or other ugly incidents within the state and how the perpetrators could be apprehended to approach his office or the nearest police station,” Abutu said.
The PPRO said that the body of the deceased had been deposited in the morgue.
