TELL Magazine

An air of anxiety and uncertainty pervades the Edo State chapter of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, following the abduction of its Benin Depot chairman, Baba Abdul-Hamid Egele, on Monday evening from his country home by some gunmen.

Contrary to initial information that one of his drivers was killed in the bloody encounter, the Edo State Police Command spokesperson, Bello Kontongs, superintendent of police, SP who confirmed the incident, said two drivers lost their lives. According to Kontongs, “I got the news that the driver of the second vehicle, who was badly injured in the attack by the gunmen, has also died”.

He said the family of the IPMAN boss was yet to be contacted by his captors, but hoped that “the bush-combing exercise will lead to the rescue of the victim and arrest of the kidnappers”.

Giving an account of how it happened, an eye witness who would not want to be named, said the hoodlums stormed the Jattu, (near Auchi) Etsako West local government area residence of the chairman, popularly known as Baba Petrol, around 7 pm.

According to the source, Egele was returning home after the day’s business when he was accosted by the gunmen. He said “The gunmen ambushed the IPMAN chairman with two vehicles without plate number, and fired at his jeep, and killed his driver. The IPMAN chairman was later taken away after the security men attached to him were overpowered by the gunmen who injured the security operatives”.

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