21st June, 2010
Six suspected hired assassins on Sunday besieged the Anglican Church, at Ibesikpo/Asutan, Akwa Ibom, and shot dead a former South-South Secretary of PDP, Chief Paul Inyang.
According to eyewitness account, the assassins had gone to the church during Sunday service at Ibesikpo/Asutan Local Government Area, but one of the church elders, suspecting the killers, denied them entry.
The witness said Inyang was informed of suspicious characters in the church so that he could escape, but he went out and reappeared with his gun to confront the assassins.
Inyang was reported to have been overpowered and was shot dead.
Confirming the incident, the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Walter Rugbere, said one of the suspects had been arrested.
“The incident happened in one Anglican Church in Ibesikpo/Asutan Local Government Area of the state.
“According to one of the elders of the church, Chief Inyang’s attention was drawn to the assassin and was advised to run, only for him to come back with his gun from his car to fire at the suspects,’’ Rugbere said.
The police chief disclosed that the gang leader was known, but that his name would not be mentioned for security reasons.
He explained that when the incident was reported to the police, his men quickly swung into action by preventing a crisis.
The commissioner, who said that one of his men sustained injury during confrontation, added that his men had been alerted to fish out the perpetrators of the crime.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the recent killing was the third time in the state when hoodlums followed people to church to kill or kidnap.