Armed robbers kill Sun Newspaper sales representative in Onitsha, get away with undisclosed cash

Tragedy hit The Sun Newspaper on Monday, as gunmen invaded the company's Onitsha, Anambra State office, robbing and killing the Sales Representative, Mr. Fabian Obi.

The armed robbers, numbering three, who came on a motorcycle, stormed The Sun office in the morning and demanded money realised from newspaper sales from Obi.

An eyewitness said Obi handed over the money to the gunmen, who later shot at him three times on the left shoulders before escaping.

He revealed that the gunmen, who were in black attires with fez caps, had rounded up Obi’s office assistant and one vendor, who were in the office when they came.

“We were in the office with the deceased when the two tall young gunmen came upstairs, while the other one was waiting and standing by on a motorcycle at the front of the office. Immediately they came in, they went straight to the sale representative and shouted, ‘where is the money?’ They saw some money on the table because he was collecting money from a vendor who was making payment.

“The man (Obi) handed over the money to them and stood up, when the gunmen turned back and shouted at him to go back and sit down. The next thing we heard were gunshots on the late Obi and he fell by the door.

“Immediately one of the gunmen shot him, they quickly went down to the waiting motorcycle and zoomed off. I had to run out shouting for help before some people came and we carried him to the vehicle. He was breathing a little. We took him first to New Hope Hospital on Modebe Street, Onitsha, where he was immediately referred to St. Charles Boromeo Hospital. Before we got to the hospital, he gave up the ghost.

“We took him to the emergency ward, where he was confirmed dead by the doctor, who told us to take his body to the morgue.”

When the gun attack and robbery were reported to the police, Area Commander in charge of Onitsha, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Abubukar Yahaya, and Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Central Police Station Onitsha, Superintendent of Police, Ikechukwu Egbochukwu, yesterday visited the scene as well as the hospital, where Obi’s corpse was deposited.