Policemen shot dead as Johnson Suleman escapes ‘gunmen’ attack

The President of Omega Fire Ministries, Apostle Johnson Suleman, escaped a gunmen attack at Benin Auchi Express Road in Edo State on Friday.

Reports said Suleman was attacked by gunmen who shot at his vehicle, targeting him Friday afternoon.

Trending video footage on social media shows bullet touches on the cleric’s vehicle. Another video posted by one of his followers showed policemen, who were members of his convoy, lying dead in a pool of blood.

@APOSTLESULEMAN Brethren, Apostle Johnson Suleman just got of the phone with me now.
He escaped
Assassin's this afternoon
Sadly his 7 members were all gone down
May God rest Thier soul pic.twitter.com/oACqPd9yDr

— Dickson Omodiale Osajie, CPP®: (@iamoodickson) October 21, 2022

Reacting to the attack, Suleman, in a tweet, attributed his escape to God.

Who is God to you?

He is my way maker,my bridge over troubled waters,the one that lays his chambers upon the waters,walks on the wings of the wind as a chariot,stretches forth heaven as a curtain..

Who is he to you?

— Apst Johnson Suleman (@APOSTLESULEMAN) October 21, 2022

A lawyer for the cleric, Samuel Amune, who confirmed the attack, said his client had just returned from a programme in Tanzania, adding that he escaped death by a whisker.

“He was returning from a journey, and he was almost on the shores of Auchi when some assassins attacked him. Three of his police orderlies, among others, died. He had travelled before and just finished a programme in Tanzania,” Amune said.

“He was returning to Auchi when the gunmen attacked him along Sabingida down to Warake area, and Auchi shares direct boundary with Warake. So, he had passed Warake and was entering the boundaries of Auchi when the attack happened.”

A spokesman for Edo State Police Command, Chuidi Nwabuzor, confirmed the attack on Suleman later on Friday night.

Nwabuzor disclosed that six people, including policemen and Suleman’s drivers, were killed, adding that efforts were on to locate the whereabouts of a domestic staff member.

He also noted that one of the gunmen was killed during the attack but did not explain the incident that led to his death.