Three Killed as Vigilante Opens Fire in Sapele Hotel

The Delta State Police Command has confirmed the killing of three individuals by a vigilante on duty at a hotel in the Ibada-Elume community, Sapele. The incident occurred in the early hours of Monday, December 1, prompting widespread outrage among residents. CP Olufemi Abaniwonda, through Police Public Relations Officer SP Bright Edafe, said the shooter fled the scene shortly after the attack.

Trouble began when a power outage forced some youths out of their rooms due to heat. Their noise reportedly attracted the attention of the vigilante who ordered them back inside and threatened to shoot if they refused. When they challenged his threat, he opened fire and critically wounded one of them, who later died at the hospital.

The killing angered the youths, who returned to the hotel in protest. At this point, the vigilante and his colleagues allegedly fired again, resulting in the death of two more persons on the spot. The youths later regrouped and advanced toward the hotel for a reprisal, but the vigilante had already disappeared.

In the aftermath, the enraged crowd set the hotel ablaze. The case is now with the Sapele Area Command, which has launched an investigation and intensified efforts to locate the fugitive suspect.