By Augustine Ehikioya
Gun duel between Officers of the Edo State Police Command and suspected armed robbers / cultists, has left one of the notorious suspects, popularly known as Fidelis Ekata, dead.
A statement on Wednesday by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Kontongs Bello, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command, and made available to Security Watch Africa (SWA), said the suspects opened fire on sighting the Police Officers.
The statement said “Today 02/03/2022 at about 1000hrs Operatives of Edo State Police Command, acting on credible information that a notorious armed robber/cultist purporlarly known as Ekata and an escapee of the Edo State Correctional Centre, Benin City during the October 2020 ENDSARS PROTEST, who has been on the Command’s wanted list, was sighted somewhere in Uromi town in company of his other gang members.
“On receipt of the information, the Area Commander, Uromi immediately deployed team of Police Operatives to the location, on sighting the team of Operatives, the gang opened fire on them, while the team gallantly responded, in the ensuing gun duel, one Fidelis Ekata ‘M’ who is the gang leader of the armed robbers/Cultists sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to General Hospital, Uromi for treatment but was confirmed dead by the Doctor on duty, while other gang members escaped with gunshot injuries.
“Efforts are on to ensure the arrest of the fleeing gang members. The following items were recovered from the dead gang leader. One cut to size gun and one live cartridge.
“The Commissioner of Police, Edo State Command while commending the gallantry exhibited by the team, advised criminals in the State to eschew criminality or risk been arrested,” it stated.