By PETER DURU, Makurdi
THe General Secretary of the NKST Synod, Rev. Peter Azuana was yesterday rescued from the jaws of death by officers of the Benue State Police Command after he was attacked by a four-man armed gang at Gboko, Benue State.

Narrating his ordeal to Crime Alert, Pastor Azuana said he was coming from Abuja with his driver and the Education Secretary of the church, Rev. Samuel Vershima Ker after completing an official assignment.  He said they got to Gboko at about 12:30am after having dropped off the Education Secretary.

*Rev Peter Azuana

The driver, he continued, drove straight to his house at Mkar and while praying before disembarking from the Toyota Hilux car, he heard his driver scream. “ When I looked up, I saw some young men pointing a gun at my face threatening to shoot.  But miraculously, we escaped by running into the Mkar hills while they disappeared with my official vehicle.

“As we ran, we met some young men who rushed towards us after they heard our shout.

One of the young men helped by alerting a Police patrol team in Gboko through a phone call.”

Rev. Azuana who was full of praises for the Police said, “I am surprised at the manner the police responded to the situation, it was unlike the police of the past, what they did in terms of response was astonishing”.  They responded to the call and intercepted the gang; I commend them indeed because they swiftly intercepted the gang at Yandev where they engaged each other in an intensive gun dwell.”

Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Ejike Alaribe who showed journalists the bullet-ridden police patrol vehicle said, the officers on patrol overpowered the gang, arrested one of them who was shot on the lap and recovered the snatched Toyota Hilux.

Alaribe  said the Police was currently on the trail of other fleeing members of the gang promising that they would soon be nabbed.