Gunmen barricade East-West road, kill five

Gunmen suspected to be armed robbers on Wednesday evening blocked the busy East-West road and five persons were feared dead.

The gunmen blocked the road with an ash colour Toyota Corolla at about 7pm, shot sporadically for the period the robbery lasted.

It was gathered that the robbers operated for about an hour unchallenged and unsuspecting travellers were dispossessed of their valuables.

Five persons were reportedly killed by the robbers, who later abandoned the Corolla with which they barricaded the road after the attack.

A source said some travellers who sighted the robbery operation from afar made a u-turn and ran for safety, adding that some passengers fled into the bush to take cover.

The Police Public Relations Officer for the state, Bright Edafe, when contacted, said he was not aware about the incident but promised to find out and get back.