There were sporadic gunshots that lasted more than five minutes at the gate of the Edo State command of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Friday morning, as men of the service pursued a driver of an articulated vehicle who was said to have brushed their vehicle.

New Telegraph gathered that the driver brushed their vehicle along the ever-busy Upper Sakponba Road, Benin City, and was moving towards Oka Market, which is about five hundred meters from the state command.

It was further gathered that while the vehicle was approaching the gate of the NDLEA, officers who were said to have been alerted by their colleagues pursuing the trailer began to shoot, deflating about seven tyres of the vehicle, while the driver kept moving on. The officers continued to shoot while pursuing him.

The shooting caused commotion, as traders and residents took to their heels, probably to avoid being hit by stray bullets. Others were confused, not sure of what caused the sporadic gunshots.

A source told the New Telegraph that the driver brushed their vehicle on the way, and that every effort by the officers to stop him so they could settle the matter proved abortive; hence the gunshots and deflation of the tyres.

“It was a simple thing; they jammed our men, but the officers tried to stop him so that they could settle, but the driver refused to stop. That is why the men have been shooting to stop him. Even after bursting about seven tyres, he was still running, but we caught him and they are bringing him back to our office,” he concluded.

Calls and messages sent to the Commander, Edo State NDLEA Command, Mr Mitchell Ofoyeju, were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.