Residents of Amarata area of Yenagoa, capital of Bayelsa State, were thrown into pandemonium on Tuesday evening following the brutal murder of an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and a woman hit by stray bullets.

The police officer, Mathew Akpos, was allegedly murdered by gunmen described as “Special Police Squad”.

Akpos was reportedly gunned down close to the OMPADEC school field in Amarata area of the state capital.

The victim, who was said to have served at Ologbobiri, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state, was shot dead around 6pm.

It was learnt that stray bullets from the gunshots fired at the scene of the incident hit a woman, a petty trader in the neighbourhood, on the leg and stomach. The woman was reportedly rushed to the Federal Medical Centre where she eventually died.

A resident said: “The gunmen dressed like a special police squad. They were clad in the outfits of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and police bulletproof vests.”

Another witness said the gunmen drove into the community in a black Hilux van and accosted their target.

“There was a staccato of gunshots all over the place. I was at a supermarket directly opposite the scene of the incident. The way they drove into the community was suspicious and sent panic waves all over the place. But the gunshots caused panic in the area as people, even youths, who were playing football, abandoned the game and scampered for safety,” the witness said.

However another source from the community had a slightly different version of the story, saying that the gunmen trailed the victim to the area and wanted to force him into their vehicle.

The source claimed that while Akpos was being dragged into the car, he resisted his assailants and in the process pulled out his service pistol from its casing and shot at the gunmen.

“One of the gunmen who was standing close to the Hilux van immediately pulled out his gun and shot the victim. They later lifted his body into their vehicle and zoomed off. We are still living in shock because we don’t know the motive behind the operation that led to the killing of a police officer by persons who looked like his colleagues,” he said

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Bayelsa State Command, Mr. Asinim Butswat (ASP), said information at the disposal of the command was still sketchy.

He said investigations were ongoing to solve the mysteries surrounding the incident.

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