15th August, 2013
Abiodun Onafuye/ Abeokuta
There was palpable fear today within Abeokuta, capital of Ogun state, western Nigeria, when men of the police command engaged some suspected armed robbers in a hot chase and in the pursuit, exchanged gun fire.
The robbery suspects in a white ford bus with no registration number and an unmarked sport car, had entered the city through the Adigbe – Obada – Oko route from the Lagos/Abeokuta expressway.
Suspecting the movement of the two vehicles, the mobile policemen attached to the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) at the Ibara axis of the metropolis gave the robbers a hot chase.
They lost the unmarked sport car, but were able to track the Ford bus, the occupants of which engaged the policemen in a gun duel.
Residents and passers-by caught in the exchange of fire took to their heels.
The pursuing policemen succeeded in shooting the tyre of the Ford vehicle, but the vehicle refused to stop, even though motor-cyclists also joined the chase, stoning the occupants.
The vehicle eventually stopped when it got to Pepsi Cola/Agbeloba axis of the metropolis, where a blockade had been mounted by the police.
While one of the robbery suspects escaped, the police were able to arrest another occupant.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi lauded the gallantry displayed by the police officers.
Adejobi attributed the dislodgement of the robbery suspects to the equipment provided by the Ibikunle Amosun led administration.
“This is just a tip of the iceberg; the men came to operate; we got an information that the vehicle was moving suspiciously within Abeokuta metropolis and our mobile policemen attached to the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) at the Ibara axis gave them a hot chase. We were able to get one of the suspected armed robbers, while one of them fled”,Adejobi stated.
The PPRO said the team of police that rose to the occasion would have shot and killed some of the fleeing robbery suspects but for the school environment where it happened. Some secondary schools students were in school to collect their report cards.
According to the Police image maker,”This is a school environment; when they were engaged, the mobile men were conscious of stray bullets hitting innocent persons, but the target was to demobilize the vehicle and that we were able to do successfully with one vehicle. One suspect fled immediately and another one was arrested and he is now in police custody”.
In a related development, the PPRO also told newsmen that a team of police officers in the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) led by the Officer-in-Charge, SUPOL Ahmed Tijani had late Tuesday night of 13 August,2013 killed four robbery suspects in their hide-out at a place called Odan Abuja village in Igbesa area of the Ado – Odo/Ota local government area of the state.
Adejobi said the robbery suspects were part of the armed robbers that attacked officials of the Vigilant Services of Ogun state (VSO) at Onihale axis of Ifo township in Ifo local government area of the state in which four of them were killed.
The same robbery gang was said to have killed one of the serving officers of SARS sometimes ago, according to the PPRO.
Acting on a tip-off however, men of the SARS were said to have bombarded the hide-out of the criminals at around 22:45 hours last Tuesday where they engaged the robbers in a fierce gun duel which led to the death of four of them.
“The armed robbers, on sighting the police, opened fire and the police responded appropriately and four of them died on the spot while some of them fled the area with bullet wounds. There was no arrest”,Adejobi revealed.
Adejobi said items recovered from the fleeing suspects included: one Nissan Sunny salon car with registration number (LAGOS) JJJ 106 BE; one pump action gun loaded with 10 rounds of live cartridges; one made in Ghana pistol, a double barreled gun with three rounds of live cartridges.
Others are one locally made double barreled pistol, loaded with two live cartridges, five expended cartridges, one AK47 magazine loaded with seven rounds of live bullets, two Bajaj motorcycles without registration number as well as some assorted charms.