One Peter Kegh from Benue State has narrated his encounter with AK-47 wielding gunmen around the Ugbokolo Otukpo axis of the state.
According to Mr Kegh, he was returning from the East with his wife, mother-in-law, a 12-year-old girl and other women when they ran into the gunmen at 6:14pm on Wednesday, June 15.
Three of the gunmen flagged him to stop but when he did not do so, they started firing at his car.
“Travellers passing through Benue to the South East must be very vigilant as bandits now operate around the Ugbokolo Otukpo axis. I ran into them about 6:14p.m on my way back from the East yesterday. They where all in black wielding AK 47 just as the Methodist prelate related his ordeal,” he narrated.
The first three flagged me to stop at the speed I was moving about 100km/hr and it was too sudden for me to break so I continued and the next I began seeing spitting fire from their nuzzles and I bent down holding my stirring firm.
I sensed from the noise of my tyres I was veering off the road amidst the deafening gun shots at us so I raised my head again and swerved back on track to meet another set of three still shooting on the right side of the road and continued only to meet four more ahead standing and shooting and the ones behind.
In the midst of this, all we could do: my wife, my mother inlaw and two other ladies and a girl of 12 yrs old was call on the only name we know in times of trouble:J-E–S-U-S repeatedly and the next thing we observed was an unusual presence round our vehicle.
The bullets were being shot repeatedly but it appears they were being deflected. Shortly after the spot about two poles away we met a mopol check point and saw them rather very casual and one in laughing as he saw us drive past. I actually resisted the thought to stop by as I couldn’t predict their reaction.
I stopped at the third check point and came down to check the vehicle as I noticed it was jerking only to discover a bullet had hit the injector pipe God helping us we fixed it with paper and celotape and continued.
So please fellow citizens, inform your friends and loved ones plying this route to be very careful.
