Gunmen have reportedly shot and injured a fifty-year-old man, Powel Megbuwe, for refusing to give bribe during a burial ceremony along Edjemudaro road, by the cinema site in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State.
The incident occurred at about 7:40 pm on Monday, February 13 during a service of songs.
It was gathered that the victim escaped with gunshot wounds from the scene, which has since caused tension in the area with residents living in fear.
Speaking with Daily Post from his hospital bed, Megbuwe accused a man he had a conflict with at a service of songs recently of being responsible for the attack on him.
He said, “We were having a service of song in my compound, a community boy came and asked for settlement. So I asked him ”don’t you have a mother, you came to collect money at the burial of an old woman. Don’t you have a mother?
“But he insisted that if we don’t settle him, he will block the road and scatter the canopies, of which I told him that he can’t do that.
”I called a prominent person from the community, he now spoke with the boy on phone, and the boy left.
“Before he left, he was bragging that he will show me, he will do me something, but I just forget about the matter.
“It was not up to 4 hours, while I was along Edjemudaro road, coming back from where I used POS machine for withdrawal, a Keke that was coming from my back blocked my way and exclaimed, “this is the guy, this is the guy,” and that I should enter their tricycle, I said, “for what?” Before I knew it, they shot at my leg. And they said collect his phone, that was when they collected my phone.
“I held the Keke as they collected the phone from me, and while they were trying to drive away from me as I held the Keke, they dragged me on the ground until I left them at the Cinema roundabout. To God be the glory, I took myself to Vicar Clinic.”
While noting that the gunmen were three in number inside the tricycle that attacked him, Megbuwe said he could not identify them stressing that the tool used in hitting his head was not even identified.
“It was night, I don’t really know what they used in hitting my head, they struck my head 4 times after they shut me. But I knew they were three in number”.
The Medical Director, Vicar Clinic confirmed the injury on the victim’s leg to be a gunshot and suspected the injuries at the head to be “blood trauma.”
“Yes, I confirmed that the injury at the leg was caused by a gunshot, but for the head, it’s blood trauma, maybe they used the back of the gun on his head”.
Megbuwe proposed for security agencies to safeguard their territory, stressing that his incident was not the first.
“To the government, this area is not secured at all, mine is not the first case, others had happened. So place security agencies to guard and save the citizens from this oppression. I thank God am alive because they did not point the gun at my head”.
Megbuwe is an indigene of Inikorogha Community,Olodiama in Edo State.