From John Adams, Minna
as government and people of Niger State anxiously await the release of the 27 students of Government Science College, Karaga, kidnapped one week ago, bandits have again struck, killing a police inspector and injuring three others.
The incident occurred at about 6:30pm along the ever busy Minna – Suleja highway at Kwakuti junction on Tuesday.
The Kwakuti junction has served as police checkpoint for years but the bandits saw it as a perfect location with which to carry out their attack as they migrate to the state.
No fewer than three persons have been kidnapped along the Minna-Suleja highway in the last three weeks, a development that has sent fears into travelers on the road.
The injured policemen have been taken to the IBB Specialist Hospital.
A source close to the family of the deceased Inspector of Police named Mohammed Mohammed, told our correspondent that his brother was among the team drafted to provide security for travellers on the ever busy road following the recent activities of bandits in the area.
According to the source, the bandits opened fire on the policemen from on top of a tree.
The Inspector reportedly died instantly while the injured ones were rushed to the hospital by Good Samaritan.
An uncle of the deceased and former speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, Alhaji Ndanusa Hassan, said the deceased will be interred today (yesterday) according to Muslim rites.
Hassan described the late Inspector as a hardworking and easygoing officer.
Efforts to get confirmation from the Police Command proved abortive as neither the Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Adamu Usman nor the Public Relations Officer of the Command, ASP Wasiu Abiodun, responded to calls made to their cell phones.
