By Francis Sadhere/Ogechi Ojukwu
Deltans on are now living in constant fears as a result of armed robbers that are now on rampage in the state.
Robberies in the state according to our checks are now on the increase.
On Friday, October 10, 2014, Ms Frances Oneya, daughter of former military administrator of Kano and Benue States, General Dominic Oneya was shot dead by suspected armed robbers in Effurun, Headquarters of Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State.
She was killed after she had made cash withdrawal of about N200,000 at a new generation bank.
Ms Frances Oneya, 35 years old and mother of four will be buried on Friday, October 17, 2014 in Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state.
But when Deltans were yet to come out of the shock of the killing of Ms Frances Oneya, armed robbers struck again in the Bendel Estate area, Ugborikoko in Uvwie Local Government Area and killed a driver of a supermarket.
The driver was said to be going home after the close of work, but ran into the rampaging armed robbers and they killed him.
On Tuesday, October 14, 2014, popular Nollywood, Mr. Clems Onyeka, and a policeman were killed when armed robbers attacked a billion van in Asaba, the capital city of the state.
The robbers, according to dependable sources, trailed the bullion van from the Benin/Asaba Expressway through Summit Road and intercepted it on the DBS Road, by U & I Foundation, where they engaged the police on escort duty in a shoot-out and the Nollywood ace was hit by a stray bullet.
A dependable source said the robbers, numbering over eight, came out from their Sienna Toyota car in a commando style.
The shootout, which lasted for over 20 minutes, according to the source, caused pandemonium on the ever busy DBS Road, a few meters away from the State Police headquarters and office of the deputy governor as motorists, pedestrians and other road users scampered for safety, abandoning their cars.
While noting that the bullion van driver escaped with the van intact, the sources said the office complex of the U & I Foundation being run by Mrs Ngozi Olejeme, was riddled with bullets.
Confirming the attack, the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, DSP Celestina Kalu, said Mr. Clems Onyeka was hit by stray bullet during the shootout, but said no police officer was killed.
She added that one of the robbers was also killed by the police who repelled them.
Kalu, however, said the armed gang escaped with the corpse of one of their colleagues killed in the shootout, adding that the suspects abandoned the Sienna car they came in and escaped with another car snatched from an unsuspecting motorist.
She said the police was still on the trail of the armed bandits.
