Kidnappers abduct Irrua Specialist Hospital chief
Titus Akhigbe – Benin City.
The Chief Medical Director of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Prof. Sylvanus Okogbenin on Monday was abducted by gunmen suspected to be kidnappers in Benin-City, the Edo state capital.
The two policemen attached to the chief medical director were reportedly shot dead during the abduction of Prof. Okogbenin at Ramat Park in Ikpoba Hill, Ikpoba-Okha Local Goverment Area of Edo state.
The chief medical director was said to be on his way to work in Irrua, early Monday morning when the heavily armed kidnappers attacked his convoy at the popular Ramat Park Roundabout in Benin City.
There were however, conflicting reports about the kidnap, as some eyewitness accounts revealed that the two mobile policemen attached to the medical director were fatally wounded and battling for their lives in an undisclosed hospital.
According to reports, the medical director was on his way to Irrua, when the heavily armed gunmen overtook his vehicle and suddenly, opened fire.
It was learnt that the hoodlums, who operated with two exotic vehicles, a Lexus SUV and a Toyota Camry, had the SUV driven by a young female who was said to be the leader of the gang. Some eye witnesses said she gave the directive to the gunmen to open fire.
According to the eye witness account, the gunmen used the butts of their rifles to smash the windows and windscreens of the ill-fated vehicle and fatally shot the two police escorts.
The source further explained that the chief medical director was dragged out of the car after the policemen were killed and driven away in their vehicle to an unknown destination.
When contacted, the Edo state police spokesman, DSP Chidi Nwanbuzor, who confirmed the abduction and the shooting said that the command is on top of the situation and is determined to arrest the culprits and free the victim.
Nwanbuzor said: “The incident happened, but we are still investigating. We are yet to determine the identity of the victim. We don’t know how many people were killed. We are on the trail of the kidnappers.”
