A gang of armed robbers has reportedly killed a security guard attached a Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) Station, in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
The guard, simply identified as Moses was killed around 1:30 am on Sunday when the station had shut down its operation for the day.
Sources said the gangsters had stormed the gas station located on the Onyearugbulem road at Shagari Village junction and pounced on the 27-year old guard.
It was learnt that the guard was macheted on the head before he was shot dead while one of his teeth was removed by the robbers.
The hoodlums were said to have gained entry into the NNPC facility while the security guard on duty was sleeping in the dead of night.
They forcefully gained entry into the main offices of the gas station by destroying a burglary proof and some iron doors.
At press time, it was not yet clear if the robbers were able to cart away money from the offices but properties which included a CCTV camera were destroyed.
One of the fuel attendants at the station, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the incident was very shocking to the members of the staff of the gas station.
“We just came to work as usual this morning, only for us to see that some people have burgled our filling station by forcefully gaining entrance.
“We also noticed blood by the side of the station and saw the security guard (Moses) already dead and with his touch light, so, we quickly raised the alarm.
“The robbers broke the office of the Manager and destroyed the things inside the room. During the process of looking for money they ransacked everywhere in the office” he said.
A resident in the area who spoke in confidence said the hoodlums must have entered silently into the petrol station to carry out the criminal act.
He said” It was surprising for us to wake up this morning to find out that they robbed the NNPC filling station and killed one of the night guards on duty.
“None of us noticed that armed robbers were on operation here yesterday (Sunday) even to the extent that they had to break a burglary to gain entrance and it was even dark.
“This is a sad incident, it is just unfortunate they sacrificed the young security guard and sent him to an early grave.
“If he had known he would have run for his life since he was not armed because with the way he was killed the guard must have struggled with the robbers.”
One of the supervisors of the NNPC gas station said the case has already been reported to the police.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Ondo State, Femi Joseph, a Superintendent of Police (SP) said detectives have begun an investigations on the incident.
The body of the guard was said to have been moved to the State specialists hospital in Akure by policemen from the Homicide department of the Ondo State Police Command.