BY GABRIEL ENOGHOLASE

BENIN – A journalist, Mr. Chucks Ogu, has been killed by robbers in Benin City, Edo State. Ogu, a cameraman with Independent Television, a private broadcast station owned by the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, was reportedly shot dead on Saturday on Siluko Road after covering a wedding.

It was gathered that the late cameraman was at the home of the newly wedded couple on Siluko Road with a friend when armed men stormed the apartment and opened fire, hitting Ogu and killing him on the spot.

It could not be confirmed if he was the actual target of the attack or whether anything was removed from the couple.
A colleague of the deceased, at the Independent Television, who did not wish to be named confirmed the incident.

He said: “It is true my brother. He was shot dead at the home of the new couple on Siluko Road after covering their wedding. He was there with his friend to arrange when to air the programme when robbers suddenly appeared and shot him. We deposited his remains at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, UBTH, mortuary last night.”

At press time,  no official statement had been issued by authorities of Independent Television. When contacted, Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Olayinka Balogun said that from preliminary report available to the Police, the deceased was at the scene of the incident with a friend and may have been killed on a mistaken identity.