Hendrix Oliomogbe
In an act which echoes a scene from a Nollywood movie, over 10 daredevil hoodlums Sunday July 9 in suburban Benin gunned down a man, identified as Mr. Ehinoma Solomon in the presence of his wife and three children right in front of a popular church after the close of service.
Panicky worshippers who were right inside the church, preparing to start a meeting at the end of service dashed for cover when the suspected killers shot sporadically into the air to scare people away, hitting some of them who received bullets wounds.
It was gathered that the late Ehinoma popularly called Ehis was a business man and the Chief Security Officer (CSO) of Oke-Oroma Community in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, where notorious land grabbers and rival secret cultists are currently engaged in a fierce fight.
In distress, the widow, Mrs. Osareniye Solomon lamented that the assailants laid a snare for her late husband, waiting patiently for him to close from the church before they struck as he headed home.
In tears, Mrs. Solomon wailed that the gunmen struck at about 11 in the morning shortly after the pastor announced that there would be a meeting of all adult worshippers in the church at he end of Sunday service
The distraught widow cried that her deceased husband had politely apologized that he will not be able to attend the meeting as he had another schedule and left, with her little daughter tailing him to collect something for her (the wife) from his car, parked a few metres away.
She wailed: "A gun shot rang out close to where he parked his car immediately he stepped out the door and my daughter ran back inside the church. My husband also tried to run back but he was shot and fell down. When I looked outside I saw over ten young men surrounding my husband's car.
She bemoaned: "It was right in front of the church that they fatally shot my husband and also butchered him with a machete after they shot him dead."
The wife said that after the shooting, they took his mobile phone and Automated Teller Machine card from his pocket before hurriedly zooming off in a car.
She disclosed that the husband had a premonition of his death as he showed him a text message which clearly stated that he and two other persons in the small community have been marked to be killed, three days before he was gruesomely murdered by the unknown assailants.
Persistent attempts to reach the Edo State Police spokesman, Mr. Chidi Nwanbuzor proved abortive as his mobile phone number was serially engaged.
Sad story. May his soul rest in peace.
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