By Onome Oghenetega
Confusion is currently trailing the alleged killing of a suspected armed robber by a combined team of vigilantes and operatives from the Police Area Command in Sapele, Delta State, on Sunday.
The suspect popularly known as Alhaji was reportedly gun down by the policemen in collaboration with local Vigilantes around Fedison Street of Ogbimi Drive area of Sapele Local Government Area of the state.
The incident was learnt to have occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning.
While police and the vigilantes claimed the deceased was an armed robber, residents of the area where the incident took place dismissed the allegation saying that the suspect was killed over a little disagreement with one of the vigilante members.
The police had claimed the deceased was a notorious armed robber terrorizing the area and he was said to have been arrested following a distressed call by a victim, Justin Chukwudi Uche.
Alhaji was alleged to be member of a fleeing gang of armed robbers in Sapele when he was allegedly apprehended and was later shot when he was said to have stabbed one of the vigilante members who arrested him.
A member of the Vigilante group identified as Syvelster David was said to have been stabbed on the neck.
However, the residents who witnessed the incident had dismissed the allegation, saying that the suspect was not killed over armed robbery case.
The residents challenged the police to identify the vigilante member that was allegedly stabbed by the deceased and the compound where the robbery incident took place.
The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer, Andrew Aniamaka, confirmed the incident when contacted over the incident.
Aniamaka also claimed that the deceased truly stabbed and wounded a member of the vigilante group.
He added that the vigilante member who was allegedly stabbed by the deceased suspect is currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital in Sapele.
