Policeman killed, three others injured, patrol van burnt

*One beheaded, another killed in cult clash

Armed men have killed a policeman, wounded three others, and then set a patrol van on fire in Edo State.

Gunmen ambushed the policemen in the early hours of the morning, close to Ovia River Bridge along Benin-Iguobazuwa road in Ovia South West Local Government Area of the State.

The rampaging armed men got to the river bank in two speed boats and opened fire on the four policemen, who were on patrol duty around the area. The policemen were said to have fired back on their assailants, but later escaped into a nearby bush, leaving their Hilux van.

The gunmen set the police van on fire, then shooting sporadically,  moved to their operational speed boats and fled.

This occurred just as rival secret cult group beheaded a young man in a reprisal move in Benin, the state capital.  The beheading of the victim, brought to two, the number of victims killed in a bloody clash at Uwelu Motor Spare Parts area of Benin City. The clash started last week Sunday.

Police discovered a fresh human head of a young man at Iyobosa junction, Off Uwelu road. The fresh head was discovered a few hours after police recovered the corpse of another boy, identified as Wisdom.

Further findings revealed that some of Wisdom’s members mobilized and stormed residence of a member of another rival cult group in Ayebelo area of Egor, who was identified as Ogbe.

They were said to have severed Ogbe’s head and later dumped his body at the same Iyobosa Junction, where Wisdom’s was dumped.

Efforts to get comments of the state’s Commissioner of Police, Johnson Kokumo and the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Moses Nkomba failed. The command’s Deputy Commissioner of Police, DCP, Operations, Ayodele Olatunji, when contacted promised to call back our reporter due to poor network.