The spate of insecurity in Delta state has reached disturbing levels. Even as the kidnap of Professor Okonjo is still on the tip of the tongue of all and sundry, several more daring incidents perpetrated by criminal gangs occurred yesterday.
In the first instance, in Warri, an expatriate staff of SETRACO Construction Limited, was attacked by four heavily armed men. His escort, a soldier in the Nigerian Army was killed mercilessly and the staff of Lebanese origin, Harry Fadi was abducted.
It was gathered that the soldier was shot dead by the gunmen when he attempted to stop them from kidnapping the expatriate whom he was escorting in his vehicle at Ekiugbo Junction, Ughelli. The kidnappers then made away with the Setraco staff after killing the soldier.
According to sources, a male operator of the company and a female passer-by were hit by stray bullets during the exchange of gunfire between the kidnappers and the soldier attached to the expatriate.
In a separate incident, Justice Mukoro, who is the presiding judge of High Court 1, Warri, escaped death by the whiskers as he came under attack at the Okuokoko community along Warri-Ughelli Road when his Kia SUV jeep was bullet-riddled by a set of four gunmen.
In his own case, Justice Mukoro, who is the presiding judge of High Court 1, Warri, was said to have been on his way to work from Asaba in a black coloured Kia Sportage SUV with registration number AS 530 UGH when he came under attack between 7.30 and 8am yesterday.
In his narration of the incident, his driver, Akatugba Ossai, said as they approached a traffic hold-up at Okuokoko, he sighted some armed youths who immediately fired at the SUV, but he courageously made through the traffic to “save oga’s life”.
“When I noticed two of the assassins beside the vehicle, I pushed them aside and came face-to-face with three other members of the gang, who fired at the front seat where Oga hanged his suit, thinking he was there and the bullets pierced through the front windscreen”.