Gunmen Kill DPO, Pregnant Cop, Two Others In Bayelsa

In a commando-style offensive, gunmen Monday morning invaded a police station in Agudama community, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, killing four policemen.

The slain officer’s include a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), SP Ola Rosanla, a seven-month pregnant policewoman, Joy Wellington and two cops who were on duty. Two others were severely injured.

The gunmen carted away riffles, ammunition and police uniforms from the station in an operation that lasted about an hour.

According to sources from the community who spoke on condition of anonymity, no civilian was killed in the attack, as there were no detainees in the station at the time the attack occurred at about 2:15a.m. The rifles in arsenal of the police station and uniforms belonging to the deceased officers were taken away by the gunmen.

Reacting to the brutal attack, the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, has ordered a massive manhunt for the perpetrators. A statement via email from Frank Mba, the police spokesman, said the IGP, had pledged that no stone would be left unturned in apprehending the perpetrators and bringing them to book.

The gunmen had invaded the station, which does not have a perimeter fence, from the bank of the river and caught the policemen on duty unawares. They were said to have instructed the DPO, to take them to the armoury and ensured they took all the guns and ammunition before they forced him to kneel down and shot him.

Thereafter, they moved from one room to the other searching for policemen believed to be hiding in the rooms. It was in one of the rooms they killed the pregnant policewoman.

Two other policemen on patrol heard the gunshots and rushed down to the station where they had a gun duel with the killers but the superior firepower of the bandits overpowered them. Though they inflicting bullet wounds on the fleeing attackers, the two cops also suffered fatal wounds and are now in critical condition at the hospital.