Posted by By CHRIS ANUCHA, JULIANA FRANCIS and IJEOMA OGWUEGBU on
Dare-devil robbers held Lagos by the jugular on Monday, striking at least in three different locations in the metropolis.The robbers set the tone for the day's daring operations when they attacked a police check point on Sunday evening, shot dead an Inspector and snatched his rifle.
Dare-devil robbers held Lagos by the jugular on Monday, striking at least in three different locations in the metropolis.The robbers set the tone for the day's daring operations when they attacked a police check point on Sunday evening, shot dead an Inspector and snatched his rifle.
The robbers stretched the new members of the mobile police squads recently deployed in the state to a breaking point with their strikes at three different areas of the metropolis between 11.00 a.m. and 6.00 p.m, leaving residents caught in the gun duels scampering to safety.
One life was said to have been wasted while millions of naira were allegedly lost to the bandits by a commercial bank located on Limca road, Isolo.
The robbers, who stormed the bank at about 11.00 a.m, were said to have shot and wounded one person who was later rushed to the hospital.
An eyewitness account said the bandits, who numbered over 10, arrived in a Mercedes Benz 190 and Toyota Corolla cars. Pretending to be customers of the bank, they went into the banking hall, leaving others outside to take care of the security guards. Customers in the bank were forced to lie face down, while the robbers carried out the operation, which lasted for more than 30 minutes.
Daily Sun gathered that the robbers gained access to a vault in the bank and carted away the money.
The robbers appeared not be in a hurry as they went in and out with bags and boxes containing money, randomly firing in the direction where residents of the area had initially gathered after being attracted by the sound of the gunshots.
They eventually left while shooting in every direction.
Angry residents, however, gathered again when some 30 minutes later, a swarm of policemen arrived in several buses at the scene, totting guns. Some of the residents wondered aloud why the police were just arriving, after the robbers had operated for more than 30 minutes and ran away unchallenged.
At Okota junction, Isolo, another gang of robbers invaded offices of Bureaux de change operators at about 4.00 p.m, where they made away with huge amount of money, both in foreign and local currencies.
The gang shot intermittently, forcing road users and residents of the area to run into adjoining streets to avoid being hit by stray bullets.
For about 20 minutes that the operation lasted, the street was deserted, leaving the victims to their fate. Several people were injured while running for dear life.
Later in the evening, another set of bandits engaged the police in a fierce battle in the Ogudu area, in their bid to rob a bank.
A source told Daily Sun that mobile policemen at Ogudu had given the bandits a stiff opposition, as two Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) were dispatched to the area.
But before the arrival of the APCs, anti-robbery squads from the State Criminal Investigations Department (SCID), Panti, were already giving the robbers a hell of a time.
Eyewitnesses claimed that policemen were sighted pursuing the robbers all over Ogudu. But the police were cautious to avoid shooting and hitting innocent passers-by.
The police said the Isolo robbery was botched. According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olubode Ojajuni, the police responded swiftly, thereby preventing the robbers from carrying out the operation. He said when the robbers arrived, three mobile policemen, who were on duty started shooting, making it difficult for the robbers to operate. However , he could not confirm whether the robbers succeeded in the Ogudu operation, as efforts to contact the area commander could not yield results due to what he called network problem.