From Oluwatoyin Malik, Adebayo Waheed, Dele Aderibigbe and Johnson Babajide - 29.10.2009

FOR two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) in Kogi and Oyo states, armed robbers went on the rampage killing 12 people, including five policemen. In Ibadan, the robbers were said to have robbed on Ososami Road before linking Anfani Road.

It was while trying to find a route of escape that they sighted a policeman in uniform riding on an okada and pursued him. The policeman, Corporal Augustine Otebolaje with force number 358706, on seeing the robbers in pursuit, attempted an escape by running into a building opposite Apostolic Faith Church at Lodge Street, Oke-Ado area.

He was, however, overwhelmed by the robbers who pumped hot lead into his neck and left hip. He died instantly. The armed men also invaded the popular Kollington Shopping Plaza area of Oke Ado, where a security man working with a fish depot behind the plaza was shot dead.

They were said to have attempted gaining access into the fish depot. The security guard, known as Dimeji, made efforts to prevent their entry by trying to lock the gate against them.

The robbers, in apparent anger, shot at the gate, which was pierced by the bullet, hitting Dimeji in the lower part of the abdomen. Dimeji was said to have walked a short distance within the depot, clutching his stomach from which blood was gushing out, before he collapsed and died.

However, they did not succeed in collecting any money, because they could not gain access through the door leading to where money was kept. The armed young men, who carried out their acts may have divided themselves into groups, as another set robbed the beer depot beside the fish depot.

The group that invaded the beer depot pretended to be customers intending to purchase a particular brand of beer, according to an eyewitness. One of the two gang members that entered the depot, it was gathered, opened his nap sack, as if to bring out money, but drew out a gun from it, assembled it and introduced himself as an armed robber.

The day’s proceeds were collected from the sales girl while the laptop belonging to the manager and his bag containing some documents and books were taken away.

The armed robbers were said to have driven in Toyota Camry cars, one red colour and the other ash colour. They escaped through the bridge at Popoyemoja area, where some boys who gave them a chase eventually lost sight of them.

A credible police source told Nigerian Tribune that the robbers abandoned the cars in Felele area and that one suspect has been arrested. Earlier, on Tuesday evening, a gang of five armed robbers had attacked a supermarket disposessing the supermarket owner of the entire day’s sale, jewellery and other valuables, after first outwitting men of the Nigeria Police, who were only 10 metres away from the scene of robbery.

The incident, which according to eyewitnesses lasted about 10 minutes, occurred at a supermarket directly opposite the popular Floreb Hotel, on Aromolaran Street, off Old Ife Road. The police, it was said, had been keeping a 24-houur illegal checkpoint, in front of the hotel, in the past four weeks.

Eyewitnesses told the Nigerian Tribune that the gang, which came on commercial motorcycles, had two of their members noisily arguing with the policemen over ‘settlement’ issues, a ploy which successfully kept the policemen distracted, while the other members of the gang robbed and completed their task and at whose signal, the “okada riders” finally ‘settled’ the officers and repositioned, for their gang members to hop on the bikes and rode off.

The supermarket owner, a middle aged woman who was still in shock, said she could not believe the attack could happen, not only because it was well before 8.00 p.m., but also because she felt the presence of the policemen should have deterred the gang.

Eyewitnesses who confirmed their helplessness said there was nothing they too could do, with the officers being so engrossed with okada riders, more so, as the gang was armed.

At the Agugu police station, though the DCO, Mr. A. Olayinka who confirmed the event, said he was yet to get the details, the station officer, who further confirmed the robbery incident, stated that the gang made away with jewellery and a yet to be determined sum of money and emphasised that the development had buttressed the need to continue to mount their checkpoint in the area.

Residents who, however, spoke on condition of anonymity said the presence of the policemen, which initially gave them a sense of security, had now turned into another thing, as all the officers did was to waylay okada riders and force them to pay ‘settlement’.

They said it was also a common practice for junior officers of the station, to routinely visit neighbourhood and arrest youths in the area, claiming they were picking ‘roguers’.

Also, in Kogi State, no fewer than 10 people, including four policemen, were killed in separate armed robbery incidents that occurred within the last two days.

The robberies occurred between Tuesday and Wednesday, with the worst hit being some banks (names withheld) at Ankpa area of the state, as robbers numbering about 20 stormed the banks in the town, killing four policemen while a man said to be a well known thug, one Shaibu a.k.a. Rambo, who had mobilised his men to confront the robbers, was killed along with two of his boys.

Two armed robbers were also reported killed during the operation which lasted several hours. Also, robbers who had laid siege to the Ankpa- Lokoja highway on Monday, robbed a vehicle carrying a corpse. The robbers were said to have dropped the corpse and forced the bereaved to lie face down at Adogo village and stole their belongings, which included money and handsets.

The corpse, according to the state acting Commissioner of Police, Mallam Abdullahi Magaji, was being conveyed from Abuja to Ankpa with the passengers on board before they ran into the roadblocks mounted by four robbers suspected to be Fulanis.

Magaji, who paraded the dead body of one of the Fulani robbers who was killed when security operatives patrolling the highway ran into the robbery, said that the three others fled the scene when one of them was killed.

Magaji who confirmed the bank robberies at Ankpa, on Wednesday, said that the policemen and the leader of the thugs were killed during the robbery incidents.

http://www.tribune.com.ng/29102009/news/news1.html

Lord save and protect us in these 'ember' months and beyond