TheCable

The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) on Wednesday confirmed the killing of two officers of the commission by gunmen in Koton Karfe community in Kogi state.

Godwin Omiko, the sector commander of the FRSC in Kogi, confirmed the killing while speaking with journalists in Lokoja.

He said that the officers, Olaoluwa Adebayo and Adesina Iyanda, were shot by the same armed bandits who attacked Koton Karfe prison and set 144 of the 145 inmates free on November 2.

The slain marshals were among six officers on night duty at the FRSC office on the fateful day.

The officers, on hearing sporadic gunshots from the bandits, ran in different directions for safety.

Adebayo and Iyanda were hiding in a nearby bush when they were sighted by the escaping gunmen, who later took them away.

Omiko said that when he was informed of the incident, a search party, comprising FRSC officials, police and local vigilance men began the search for the men on Monday.

He said that the effort did not yield results until Tuesday evening when a woman who went into the bush to fetch firewood discovered their bodies.

“The woman perceived odour and saw flies all over, she later traced the odour to a spot where she used a stick to scratch the ground and saw a body,” NAN quoted Omiko as saying.

He said that the woman ran out of the bush and raised an alarm, which attracted other villagers.

Some FRSC officials, policemen and some men in the community followed the woman into the bush to ascertain her claim.

The sector commander said the bodies were immediately retrieved from the shallow grave, explaining that the officers were shot in the head at close range.

“They removed their uniforms before shooting them; they used their lineyard and shoe laces to tie their hands and legs.

“We saw bruises all over their bodies indicating that they were dragged over a distance before being killed.”

Omiko said that the gunmen went away with the uniforms, service belts, shoes, identity cards, official and personal mobile phones and ATM cards of the slain officers.

The bodies of Adebayo and Iyanda, who both hailed from Kwara state had been deposited at the Ankuri Hospital morgue in Lokoja.

Idris Wada, governor of Kogi state; the FRSC headquarters in Abuja; and security agencies in the state had been informed of the incident.