http://odili.net/news/source/2011/sep/25/829.html


Sunday, September 25, 2011


Rasheed Bisiriyu


A gang of armed robbery suspects, numbering about 15, on Friday engaged the police in a gun battle after a robbery operation in Ilasamaja, Lagos, leaving two of the robbers dead.




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The robbers had raided several residential houses on Alhaji Yahya and Gbadamasi streets when the police patrol team came in a van and ordered the men of the underworld out of the area.

A source at Ilasamaja Police Station told our correspondent that the robbers, most of who were teenagers, had opened fire when they saw that the police were closing in on them.

The source said, "The police immediately responded; the robbers fled but two of them were hit by our bullets and they could not run away."

He said one of the robbers that were shot by the police died instantly and the other passed away a few minutes later at the police station.

Before the second criminal died, he was said to have confessed that they (robbers) came from Mushin and Sango.

An eyewitness told our correspondent that the robbery suspects had had a field day, moving from one house to another between 1 am and 2 am before the police arrived.

One of their victims, who gave his name simply as Ishola, said the robbers were young men in their early 20s.

Ishola, who claimed the robbers had 'visited' their house twice in three weeks, said they came with school bags strapped to their backs. He said they moved from house to house, collecting money and cell-phones, as well as laptop computers and other valuables.

Ishola said the robbers unleashed terror on any of their victims that claimed not to have money at home.

He said, "They slapped me when I told them that I did not have cell-phones, having just lost them to robbers.

"They picked my baby from the bed and held him up with one hand, threatening to kill him when news came that the police were around. They immediately dropped the child and fled the room."

The Divisional Police Officer of Ilasamaja, Mr. Abass Ochogwu, confirmed the incident, and urged the members of the public to always give the police information whenever they suspected any criminal move or action.

He said that he had given his telephone numbers and those of his senior officers to the community leaders.