Anthony Iwuoma
A lecturer with Benue State Polytechnic, Ugbokolo, was on Sunday shot dead by some gunmen suspected to be armed robbers.
The deceased lecturer, who was identified as Echobu Adah, was reportedly travelling along Otukpo/Enugu highway when he was shot dead at Eke junction by suspected armed robbers.
A source who did not want to be named told The Tribune correspondent on the phone that gunmen suspected to be armed robbers were operating on the highway when the lecturer drove to the scene, which was said to be notorious for robbery incidents.
Adah’s killing resulted in a protest by some youths at Ejule junction, disrupting traffic in the area for hours.
The Venue State State Command Public Relations Officer, DSP Catherine Anene, confirmed the incident, saying the lecturer was shot dead by some suspected robbers.
“Yes, I just received the report, the deceased was on transit when he ran into the suspected robbers,” she told The Tribune.
“But unknown to him that the people were suspected robbers, he alighted from his car and walked towards them but the suspects felt he was daring them and they shot him. Nothing was removed from him.”
Nigeria has been enmeshed in security challenges for quite some time now, ranging from armed robbery, kidnapping, killer herdsmen, banditry and insurgency.
Many lives have been lost or maimed and valuable properties running into several billions of naira destroyed in the process.
Nigerians are afraid to travel on the roads these days because it is fraught with incalculable dangers. To make matters worse, some of these criminals often pose as security agents and victims just run into them unprepared for the worst.
The killing of the polytechnic lecturer is yet one more number in the long list of victims. Unfortunately, not much seems to be done by the government, as the few security personnel are overwhelmed or I’ll be equipped to adequately confront the monster on Nigeria’s highways.
The Nigerian Xpress earlier reported that traffic robberies and other violent crimes are on the increase in Lagos metropolis, findings by The Nigerian Xpress has shown.
According to some residents, who spoke with our correspondent, major highways in the dark have become a nightmare; worsened by the traffic snarl that bedevils major roads in the state.