Gunmen suspected to be kidnappers on Sunday at Aruwa Village, Ifewara in Osun, attacked a vehicle conveying two expatriates working for a mining company, killing a police Inspector attached to the company.

The gunmen also carted away the rifle and ammunition of the slain police officer.

Public Relations Officer of the Police Command in Osun, SP Yemisi Opalola confirmed the incident in a statement made available to newsmen on Monday in Osogbo.

She said the command lost a police Inspector when suspected kidnappers attacked the vehicle they were travelling in at Aruwa Village Ifewara, Atakumosa West Local Government Area of the state.

According to her, “At about 9.00a.m, one Insp Lato Abson of MOPOL 32 Squadron, Ebonyi State, attached to E C Ice Resources Nigeria Limited, reported at Ifewara Police Division that some suspected kidnappers opened fire on their vehicle.

“Lato explained that at about 8.10a.m., when they closed from night duty from their mining site located at Aruwa Village near Ifewara, himself, one Insp Peter Sorrow, and a sergeant of the same squadron, were in a vehicle with two white men and their driver when the suspects opened fire on their vehicle.

“And during the attack, Insp Peter Sorrow was killed and his rifle and ammunition carted away by the suspects.

“Lato, however, added that during the attack, the sergeant returned fire and killed one of the suspects.

“And one AK-47 with Breech No. 97698, one magazine loaded with 16 rounds of live ammunition and two mobile phones were recovered from the killed gunman,” she said

Opalola said that following the report, police detectives and members of a vigilante group were swiftly mobilised to the scene by the Divisional Police Officer in Ifewara.

She said that four suspects were arrested in the forest with two android mobile telephones recovered from them.