By Emma Amaize
WARRI- A notorious ex-militant went berserk, weekend, at Obotebe community, Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State and gunned down a speed boat driver, Salemon Ariri.

He fled the community after the incident but irate villagers set ablaze the residences of his father, a prominent leader of the town and other relations on Saturday evening.

Delta State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mamman Tsafe told Vanguard when contacted that the police would collaborate with the Joint Task Force, JTF, on the Niger-Delta to track down the fleeing ex-militant.

Traditional ruler of Obotebe, HRH, Akemeotubo Okeren, confirmed the incident, yesterday, on phone, saying arrangement was being made to bring the remains of the deceased, who was married before his death, to a mortuary in Warri.

Information available to Vanguard showed the suspect was embroiled in a physical combat with another ex-militant over a community matter, when suddenly he scurried into his house, brandishing a rifle, which he fired randomly.

Villagers ran helter-skelter as he shot sporadically into the air, while Salemon Ariri, who was just arriving home at the time, was hit in the process. He died on the spot.

A source said, “The villagers could not apprehend the ex-militant because he was armed and had been terrorizing them since he and other ex-militants were granted amnesty by the Federal Government”.

His words, “There is no police post in Obotebe, everybody was running away after the incident because nobody wants to be shot too. His parents live in the community, his father is a known chief, but the boy is very wild”.

-Vanguard

Posted by admin on Jan 29 2012. Filed under Niger Delta. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry