Olajide Sowore Not Target of Kidnappers, Was Victim of Circumstance - Edo Police

The Edo State Police Command on Sunday explained that Felix Olajide Sowore, younger brother of the Sahara Reporters publisher, and convener of #Revolution Now, Omoyele Sowore, who was killed in the early hours of Saturday at the Okada axis of Edo State by some rampaging kidnappers, was just a victim of circumstance.

At a press conference on Sunday, the Command’s public relations officer, PPRO Bello Kontongs, said the late Sowore, who was driving himself, ran into the kidnappers who had laid ambush for passengers of a commercial bus which had broken down Friday night and had spent the night in the community.

According to him, the deceased was not an occupant of the bus from which five persons were later kidnapped.

Kontongs explained that the stranded commuters had returned early on Saturday to pick their personal effects from the bus when the kidnappers opened fire on them and Sowore unknowingly drove into the scene.

“He was just a victim. The kidnappers tried to stop him, but he refused to stop. The bullet hit his car and one of the bullets got him, and he died on the spot”, the PPRO stated.

He said the Tactical Team of the Command and some local vigilantes, including the divisional police officer, DPO of Okada Police Station, had already gone into the bush, looking for the kidnappers, with the aim of arresting them and rescuing the victims.

Kontongs announced that three occupants of the bus who escaped, had been brought to the Command’s Headquarters and profiled, adding that the kidnappers had not made any contact with the police in respect of the victims, though he would not know if their families had been contacted.

Full text of a press conference on Sunday by Edo State Police Command addressed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO Bello Kontongs on the circumstances surrounding the killing of Felix Olajide Sowore, younger brother of Omoyele Sowore, on Saturday September 4, 2021.

“It has become very necessary to inform the general public because of the panic that the incident is creating among the general public, especially, the residents of Edo State, as regard the killing of one Felix Olajide Sowore on September 4, 2021 at about 6:45 hours yesterday (Saturday).

“It has become necessary for us to brief the press to inform the general public that police is on top of the situation since the incident happened. Bush combing has started. The Commissioner of Police has directed the tactical team to put hands together with the Divisional Police Headquarters at Okada for the bush-combing since yesterday.

“As I speak to you, the local vigilantes in that area, the police tactical team from the state command, and the Divisional Police Headquarters at Okada, are all together in the bush right now combing the forests in an effort to arresting the assailants and possible rescuing of five other persons that are still with the kidnappers.

“The Sowore Felix was not one of the occupants of the bus that some of them were kidnapped. He was just someone that ran into the incident. He was coming and met the situation on ground.

“The bus actually was coming from the South going towards Lagos. The bus belonged to a private transport company, and broke down at around 2 am in the early hours of Saturday, and the occupants looked for somewhere to sleep.

“That early hours in the morning, the occupants came with the intention to pack their belongings from the bus, but unknown to them, the kidnappers have laid ambush, and immediately they opened the bus, the kidnappers came out from the bush and started shooting at the bus in an attempt to create fears in them, but some of them tried to escape.

“Sowore was coming from Okada to Benin. He was just a victim. They kidnappers tried to stop him, but he refused to stop. The bullet hit his car and one of the bullets got him, and he died on the spot. He was confirmed dead by the doctors, and his corpse has been deposited at Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital.

“That is the situation, and the Commissioner of police is doing everything possible to ensure that they are arrested and those kidnapped are rescued.

“Until now, there is no contact from the kidnappers. We don’t know if they have contacted the families of those kidnapped, but to the police and those escaped they have made no contact.

“The police is also trying to use tactical means in order to track the kidnapped victims.

“Some of the occupants of the bus who escaped, and some we met hiding in the bush, we brought to the police headquarters, and we have profiled them. They are three in number”.

Adekunbi Ero

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Olajide Sowore Not Target of Kidnappers, Was Victim of Circumstance – Edo Police

At a press conference on Sunday, the Command’s public relations officer, PPRO Bello Kontongs, said the late Sowore, who was driving himself, ran into the kidnappers who had laid ambush for passengers of a commercial bus which had broken down Friday night and had spent the night in the community.

According to him, the deceased was not an occupant of the bus from which five persons were later kidnapped.

Kontongs explained that the stranded commuters had returned early on Saturday to pick their personal effects from the bus when the kidnappers opened fire on them and Sowore unknowingly drove into the scene.

“He was just a victim. The kidnappers tried to stop him, but he refused to stop. The bullet hit his car and one of the bullets got him, and he died on the spot”, the PPRO stated.

He said the Tactical Team of the Command and some local vigilantes, including the divisional police officer, DPO of Okada Police Station, had already gone into the bush, looking for the kidnappers, with the aim of arresting them and rescuing the victims.

Kontongs announced that three occupants of the bus who escaped, had been brought to the Command’s Headquarters and profiled, adding that the kidnappers had not made any contact with the police in respect of the victims, though he would not know if their families had been contacted.

Full text of a press conference on Sunday by Edo State Police Command addressed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO Bello Kontongs on the circumstances surrounding the killing of Felix Olajide Sowore, younger brother of Omoyele Sowore, on Saturday September 4, 2021.

“It has become very necessary to inform the general public because of the panic that the incident is creating among the general public, especially, the residents of Edo State, as regard the killing of one Felix Olajide Sowore on September 4, 2021 at about 6:45 hours yesterday (Saturday).

“The Sowore Felix was not one of the occupants of the bus that some of them were kidnapped. He was just someone that ran into the incident. He was coming and met the situation on ground.

“The bus actually was coming from the South going towards Lagos. The bus belonged to a private transport company, and broke down at around 2 am in the early hours of Saturday, and the occupants looked for somewhere to sleep.

“That is the situation, and the Commissioner of police is doing everything possible to ensure that they are arrested and those kidnapped are rescued.

“Until now, there is no contact from the kidnappers. We don’t know if they have contacted the families of those kidnapped, but to the police and those escaped they have made no contact.

“The police is also trying to use tactical means in order to track the kidnapped victims.

“Some of the occupants of the bus who escaped, and some we met hiding in the bush, we brought to the police headquarters, and we have profiled them. They are three in number”.

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At a press conference on Sunday, the Command’s public relations officer, PPRO Bello Kontongs, said the late Sowore, who was driving himself, ran into the kidnappers who had laid ambush for passengers of a commercial bus which had broken down Friday night and had spent the night in the community.

According to him, the deceased was not an occupant of the bus from which five persons were later kidnapped.

Kontongs explained that the stranded commuters had returned early on Saturday to pick their personal effects from the bus when the kidnappers opened fire on them and Sowore unknowingly drove into the scene.

“He was just a victim. The kidnappers tried to stop him, but he refused to stop. The bullet hit his car and one of the bullets got him, and he died on the spot”, the PPRO stated.

He said the Tactical Team of the Command and some local vigilantes, including the divisional police officer, DPO of Okada Police Station, had already gone into the bush, looking for the kidnappers, with the aim of arresting them and rescuing the victims.

Kontongs announced that three occupants of the bus who escaped, had been brought to the Command’s Headquarters and profiled, adding that the kidnappers had not made any contact with the police in respect of the victims, though he would not know if their families had been contacted.

Full text of a press conference on Sunday by Edo State Police Command addressed by the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO Bello Kontongs on the circumstances surrounding the killing of Felix Olajide Sowore, younger brother of Omoyele Sowore, on Saturday September 4, 2021.

“It has become very necessary to inform the general public because of the panic that the incident is creating among the general public, especially, the residents of Edo State, as regard the killing of one Felix Olajide Sowore on September 4, 2021 at about 6:45 hours yesterday (Saturday).

“The Sowore Felix was not one of the occupants of the bus that some of them were kidnapped. He was just someone that ran into the incident. He was coming and met the situation on ground.

“The bus actually was coming from the South going towards Lagos. The bus belonged to a private transport company, and broke down at around 2 am in the early hours of Saturday, and the occupants looked for somewhere to sleep.

“That is the situation, and the Commissioner of police is doing everything possible to ensure that they are arrested and those kidnapped are rescued.

“Until now, there is no contact from the kidnappers. We don’t know if they have contacted the families of those kidnapped, but to the police and those escaped they have made no contact.

“The police is also trying to use tactical means in order to track the kidnapped victims.

“Some of the occupants of the bus who escaped, and some we met hiding in the bush, we brought to the police headquarters, and we have profiled them. They are three in number”.

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