Staccato of gunshots by operatives of the Edo State Command of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday morning in Benin caused panic among residents, traders, motorists and passersby around the Upper Sokponba Road office of the agency as they chased an articulated vehicle which was said to have brushed their vehicle.
Though there had been no official statement on the incident from the NDLEA, an inside source who pleaded not to be mentioned, however disclosed that the operatives eventually caught up with the fleeing driver and had been taken into custody.
Newsmata.com.ng gathered that the sporadic gunshots that lasted for more than five minutes at the gate of the Agency sent people scampering to safety as the escaping driver raced towards Oka Market, which is about five hundred meters from the state command.
The shooting was said to have started as the trailer approached the gate of the NDLEA where officers had already been alerted by their colleagues on its pursuit, deflating about seven of its tyres, while the driver kept moving.
A reliable source explained that the driver brushed their vehicle somewhere along the way and refused to stop so that they could settle the matter hence the gunshots and deflation of the tyres of the vehicle to force the driver to stop.
According to him, “It was a simple thing; they jammed our men, but the officers tried to stop him so that they could settle, but the driver refused to stop. That is why the men have been shooting to stop him. Even after bursting about seven tyres, he was still running, but we have caught him, and they are bringing him back to our office”.
Calls and messages sent to the Commander, Edo State NDLEA Command, Mr. Mitchell Ofoyeju, were not responded to at the time of going to press.
