NDLEA: Gunmen kill four officers; steal their rifles at checkpoint in Ondo

Four officers of the Ondo State Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency died when two gunmen on a motorcycle attacked them at Ifon, the headquarters of Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State on Sunday evening.

The deceased were said to be at a checkpoint on Ikaro Road in Ifon when the hoodlums struck.

After killing the officers, the gunmen allegedly stole their rifles and also set their patrol van ablaze.

According to a source, the deceased were, Abduljalad Mohammed, Wellington Emmanuel, Magaji Aliu and Mohammed Iliyasu.

A source informed our correspondent that the hoodlums came on a motorcycle and opened fire on the NDLEA operatives at the checkpoint. The killers were suspected to be some cannabis dealers in the area.

He said, “The gunmen struck at about 6.30pm on Sunday. They came on a motorcycle with AK-47 rifles and shot dead the four officers of NDLEA at the checkpoint in Ifon Division.

“They also burnt their Toyota Hilux van.

“The officers were five in number at the checkpoint, but only one of them managed to escape. After killing the officers, the gunmen also took their rifles away.”

The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr. Haruna Dagara, who confirmed the incident, said it was a case of intentional killing; noting that the Command had taken some steps to arrest the hoodlums.

He explained, “The killers were two on a motorcycle and hid their AK-47 rifles under their clothes. Immediately our men stopped them at the checkpoint, they opened fire on four of them, while the fifth person escaped.

“We, in collaboration with other sister security agencies, have begun to trail the killers,” he added.

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the Ondo State Police Command, Mr. Femi Joseph, also confirmed the incident, saying the Command had commenced investigations into the matter.

“Immediately after we got the information about the incident, the DPO of Ifon Division immediately moved his men to the scene and evacuated the corpses.

“We are also on the trail of the hoodlums, while the investigation is already ongoing,” Joseph explained.

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