The Edo State Police Command has confirmed the fatal shooting of a vulcaniser known as Boyo along Warrake Road in Auchi, located in Etsako West Local Government Area.
The incident occurred on Friday, with the police receiving the report the same day.
According to the Command’s Spokesman, Moses Yamu, the assailants, who arrived on a motorcycle, fled the scene before police could apprehend them. “We got the report yesterday, but the assailants, who were on a motorcycle, had already escaped. The victim was confirmed dead at the hospital,” Yamu stated.
A manhunt for the perpetrators is currently underway, with the Commissioner of Police, Monday Agbonika, vowing that “no one involved in this mayhem will be spared.”
Eyewitness accounts reveal that two armed men stopped near Boyo’s roadside workshop. One dismounted and fired two close-range shots at the vulcaniser, who was resting at the time, before fleeing. A nearby trader described the attack as sudden and terrifying: “It all happened in an instant. The gunman didn’t utter a word; he just shot and escaped. Everyone was thrown into panic.”
Community leaders expressed shock and dismay at the violent act in what is typically a peaceful neighborhood. One leader remarked, “This is horrifying. To kill someone in broad daylight is outrageous. We urge law enforcement agencies to take immediate action.”
The police continue their search for the suspects as residents await justice for the slain vulcaniser.