Breaking: Nigerian Army Confirms Gunmen Attack On Military Vehicle In Benin City, Killing Of Driver

A military Hilux vehicle was ambushed by an armed gang on Wednesday in Benin City, Edo State, according to the Nigerian Army, which has stated that it is working with other security agencies to find them.

Details of the incident were provided in a statement by Yemi Sokoya, Assistant Director of Army Public Relations.

“The attention of the Nigerian Army (NA) has been drawn to a series of inaccurate narratives in the media space in respect to the attack on a military Hilux vehicle at Akpakpava road in Benin City Edo State by some armed gunmen on Wednesday 23 August 2023,” the statement read.

Contrary to rumours, he said that a driver and a clerk from the 4 Brigade finance office travelled to the city to fix the office printer while simultaneously making a stop at a bank to process and retrieve a bank statement.

In addition, it claimed that an armed gang in a red Toyota Camry car must have followed the soldiers and noticed that they were unarmed. They then opened fire on the vehicle at a traffic light junction, probably believing the soldiers were carrying the money. However, when they realised the vehicle was empty, the gang sped away.

The driver was struck in the chest by some of the bullets, and the army later confirmed that he passed away at the hospital.

The army called many claims that the robbers made off with a huge sums of cash "entirely false as no cash was involved."