Police Kill 7 Robbers In Mushin

In what looks like a retaliation of the murder of the divisional police officer in charge of Alakuko police station in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, by robbers yesterday, anti-robbery police officers from SARS today gunned down seven suspected robbers in Mushin area of the state.

P.M.NEWS recalls that on April 23, 2011, Joseph Olatomokun, the DPO of Alakuko police station was ambushed and killed along Amje Road in Ajugunle in Ogun state by suspected armed robbers operating in  a convoy of fours cars.

About 24 hours after the death of Olatomokun, the anti-robbery police officers engaged a gang of armed robbers in a bloody shoot-out  today at Challenge bus stop in Mushin.

Samuel Jinadu, Lagos state police spokesman said the officers stormed the scene of the incident following information about activities of the robbery gang.

Police sources  said that a member of the robbery gang, who was earlier arrested was persuaded by police detectives to call his colleagues-in-crime for an impending operation.

The suspected criminal played along and members of his gang arrived the bus-stop in a red Toyota Corrola car with registration No: Kwara AE 457 KSB.

They tied charms  on their bodies and a sticker of the Nigerian Army on the car, while three other members of the gang cmae on a commercial motorcycle, popularly called Okada.

Further checks by our reporter revealed that the suspected robbers also had in their possession one AK-47 rifle with five magazines, one Barretta pistol with 14 rounds of live ammunition, one pump action gun with 33 live cartridges and two locally made pistols, among other items.

The bloody gun duel that ensued also resulted in a severe injury suffered by a police corporal, who is said to be at the Intensive Care Unit of an undisclosed hospital in Lagos.

He was shot in the stomach by the robbers, even as three of the robbers on okada escaped while one was arrested.

P.M.NEWS learnt from police officers at SARS that the arrested robber, whose name they refused to mention, will soon reveal the names of the sponsors as well as the two gangs that have been terrorising residents of Mushin in recent times.

By Emmanuel Udom