The President, Omega Fire Ministries Worldwide, Apostle Johnson Suleman has said that the gunmen that opened fire on his convoy on Friday were not kidnappers but assassins sent to kill him.
He also expressed surprise that the police allegedly killed one of the gunmen whom he said was handed to them alive.
He said this while reacting to a video of one of the gunmen he shared via his verified Twitter handle on Friday night.
The Herald earlier reported that seven persons were killed when some gunmen attacked Suleman’s convoy along Benin–Auchi Road, Edo State.
In a video shared via his Twitter handle, the cleric described the incident as an attempt on his life orchestrated by people he would rather not mention.
He also shared a video of one of the attackers lying lifeless inside a vehicle.
In the video, a male voice can be heard saying that the deceased was a “kidnapper” gunned down during a fierce gun battle with the police from Auchi Division led by Divisional Police Officer (DPO), CSP Ayodele Sulaiman.
“This one was gunned down while others escaped with bullet wounds,” the commentator said.
However, Apostle Suleman disputed the account rendered by the police.
Reacting to the video, Apostle Suleman said his attackers were not kidnappers as claimed by the police.
The cleric added that the gunman was handed over to the police alive but the police killed him under inexplicable circumstances.
Lies…there weren’t kidnappers…
He was caught and handed over and the police killed him immediately…why?..why killing him on the spot?.who is trying to cover up traces?.. pic.twitter.com/vjgCo0zcyQ
— Apst Johnson Suleman (@APOSTLESULEMAN) October 21, 2022
A lawyer, Abdul Mahmud equally disputed the claims made by the police.
He said that the gunman was apprehended by the vigilante at Ivbiaro who interrogated and extracted valuable information from him before handing him over to the DPO Auchi who was called to effect formal arrest.
“Then, the most shocking thing happened.
“On arrival at the scene, the DPO looked at the young man and asked him: “Are you a kidnapper?”
“‘Yes, I am,’ the kidnapper answered.
“The DPO pulled his gun and shot him,” Mahmud said.
Sharing the same video as Apostle Suleman, Mahmud wrote: “In this video, a voice could be heard dictating what the commentator should say.
“DPO, CSP Ayodele Sulaiman, didn’t lead any operation. He was handed a criminal and he finished him in the typical police way.
“What for? To earn promotion for bravery? Or for what you’re thinking?”