By Imo Okoronkwo, Lagos.
At least two persons hava been confirmed dead as unknown armed men attacked the Young Shall Grow Motors heading to East from Lagos this early morning, Tuesday,March 9 2021
An eye witness who pleaded anonymity told our integrityreporters that the men who were fully armed, appeared on Army uniform with AK47 riffle.
According to him,’ The thing happened this early morning, around 4 am. As I was coming from Lagos, after Ore, at Paradise, the Young motor just pass me and immediately another Siena double crossed him. Maybe he thought they were Army men, because the wore Army uniform, so they first shot the tire and then shot him. Immediately, others entered the vehicle and started robbing passengers. Another set also blocked the front and was robbing passengers at the front. In the process, as they were shooting sporadically, soldiers now came and opened fire with them. People started running inside bush. Now, the two dead bodies are The Young Shall Grow driver, and a conductor of Dangote truck, who was also running.’
One of the soldiers who repealed the armed robbers said they didn’t want to open fire on the robbers initially because they were inside the vehicle robbing. “If we had opened fire immediately with them while they were inside the vehicle, there may have been more casualties, he said.”
Another Young Shall Grow driver who spoke behind the camera said they have been experiencing robbery attack at the same point over two weeks now, since they protested on extortion by the military deployed at that check point.
” We have been experiencing robbery on this particular point since we protested the nureciepted payment here. The soldiers have been using us to make mone at this particular point since lockdown. So last week we block road, and protested. Now they have reduced the amount we do pay them here, and robbery started,’ he claimed.
However, the drivers who blocked the road has vowed not to leave the road until the Governor of Edo arrive at the scene to address them on the way forward.
As at the point of writing this report, the road is still blocked and efforts by the military to open the road have proves abbortive.
