Two armed robbery suspects met their Waterloo, on Wednesday, as they were shot and killed by the police after a robbery attack on the office of The PUNCH Newspapers at Nzukka Street, Mile 1, Diobu, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
Two other members of the robbery gang, however, escaped death by the whiskers as they managed to escape from a mob that had gathered to lynch them.
It was gathered that the suspected robbers had entered the Circulation Department of the media organisation at about 1.30 p.m., demanding that the Circulation Manager, Mr Raji Tajudeen, should surrender the day’s proceeds to them.
Tajudeen refused to talk to them but one of the hoodlums threatened him with a gun, while another saw a bag in which the money, meant for operations, was kept and they rushed out of the office with their loot.
Narrating the incident to newsmen at the Mile 1 Police Divisional Station where the corpse of the two suspected robbers were taken to, the PUNCH official said two men entered into his office three minutes after returning from a bank transaction. One of them, he said, pointed a gun at him.
“While the two of them were searching for the money, one of my friends working for The News noticed that all was not well in my office and asked from a distance what was happening.
“I winked at him and gave him a sign, which he understood. He went down immediately and raised the alarm. A neighbour rushed to the main entrance of the building and locked the gate before the armed robbers could get there.
“Already, a crowd had gathered close to the building housing The PUNCH Newspapers. When the armed robbers got to the gate that was locked, one of them kicked it with his leg and it opened.”
Realising that a mob had already gathered, The PUNCH official said one of the armed robbers released the first gunshot that temporarily scared away the mob.
A man operating a boutique in the same building also told newsmen that after the incident, the determined mob pursued the armed robbers, who appeared to have exhausted the bullets in their guns.
The boutique operator said the armed robbers were not familiar with the terrain and suspected that an insider must have been directing one of them through the phone on how to get their target.
“We saw one of them making calls and from what he was saying, an insider must have been directing him (armed robber) on how to get to Tajudeen’s office without wasting time.
“The crowd chased the armed robbers up to Abakaliki Street and when they were did not bullets again, they ran into a restaurant. The mob began to throw stone, bottles and other dangerous objects into the restaurant.
“The mob later dragged one of them out of the restaurant, gave him a beating of his life before the police arrived the scene.
“The armed robber that was holding the bag containing the money was later caught after he tried to escape from where he was hiding before he was shot,” he said.
At the Mile 1 Police Station, a crowd had gathered to see the bodies of the two armed robbers that were later taken to a patrol vehicle before they were driven away.
Reacting to the incident, the state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Ahmad Muhammad, commended the members of the public and the police officers for their quick response in foiling the robbery attempt.
The PPRO, who came to the Mile 1 Police Station to inspect the corpse of the two suspected robbers, said the robbers were four, with two killed, while two others escaped.
He attributed the foiling of the robbery to timely response as advocated by the state Commissioner of Police. Mr Chris Ezike and the cooperation of the people who prevented the suspected robbers from escaping
No comments :
Post a Comment