MAYOR Mohammad Gabriel Exchan Limbona of Pantar, Lanao del Norte was killed while his two security escorts were wounded after unidentified armed men ambushed Limbona’s vehicle in Iligan City, Thursday night, Iligan police said.
Police authorities are eyeing political rivalries and “rido” as possible motives of the shooting.
“Limbona drove his black Ford Everest with his wife and daughter with two other police bodyguards from Cagayan de Oro City. When they reached Sitio Paitan in the coastal village of Dalipuga this city, unidentified armed men on board a vehicle chased Limbona's vehicle and fired their guns toward Limbona,” said Iligan City Police Director Police Senior Superintendent Leony Roy Ga. He said the ambush happened about 9:45 p.m.
He said the 52-year-old mayor was rushed to the nearby hospital but was declared dead on arrival by attending physicians. His security escorts identified as Police Officer (PO) 1 Russel Jay Paltingca, 27 and PO1 Saidamin Hadji Naim, 28, are recovering from the gunshot wounds.
"The crime scene was so dark and no one had witnessed the ambush incident," Ga said.
Ga said they are investigating the motives of politics and clan feud or rido based on the information provided to them by the Pantar municipal police.
The victim's wife and daughter, who were with Limbona in the vehicle, were unhurt, police noted.
Jose Pantoja, Iligan information officer, said the City Government and the City Police Office have created a special investigation task group on Friday.
He said Iligan Mayor Celso Regencia is fully supporting the investigation to resolve Limbona’s killing with haste as he urged the former mayor’s family not to resort to violence and bloodshed.
“Mayor Regencia has appealed to the family of Mayor Libona not to carry out any reprisals in Iligan since the city has been peaceful, and also in light of the celebration of the Yuletide season,” Pantoja said.
It can be recalled that Limbona was administratively dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2014 for his alleged involvement in the 2007 murder of Pantar vice mayor Hadji Abdul Rasid Onos.
Mangonday Tago was installed as the acting mayor in May 2014 after Limbona’s dismissal but the latter refused to step down.
In the 2013 elections, he was allowed by the Commission on Elections to run again after the poll body dismissed the disqualification case against him. The Supreme Court upheld the Comelec decision in 2015.
On October 15, 2015, a violent confrontation was prevented by the military and the police when Jabar Tago, Limbona’s political rival, and his allies filed their certificate of candidacy at the Comelec office in Pantar.