Posted by By Femi Ogbonnikan, Reporter, Lagos on
While security operatives in Lagos have mapped out strategies to counter the menace of commercial bus armed robbers popularly referred to as 'Catch-in-the-air" robbers, the hoodlums have resorted to using motorcycles to launch attacks on helpless and unsuspecting members of the public.
While security operatives in Lagos have mapped out strategies to counter the menace of commercial bus armed robbers popularly referred to as 'Catch-in-the-air" robbers, the hoodlums have resorted to using motorcycles to launch attacks on helpless and unsuspecting members of the public.
The victim of the latest onslaught by a two-man armed robbery gang, who operated on a motorcycle was an Alhaji, who had gone to a bank to withdraw N5 million, but unknown to him the robbers had been on his trail and shot him dead when he refused to release the money at gunpoint.
Last Friday, Alhaji Hassan Kazeem had gone to Inland Bank Limited at Idowu Martins Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, to withdraw N5 million. When he entered the bank the Alhaji never knew that a two-man armed robbery gang operating on a motorcycle had laid ambush for him in a bid to snatch the money.
Having left the banking hall, he entered his car and headed towards Mega Plaza at Idowu Martins, Off Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, to do some shopping, while the suspects trailed him.
Still not aware of the danger lurking around for him, Alhaji Hassan took N100,000 from the N5 million cash he had withdrawn to shop at Mega Plaza.
As he attempted to step out of the car, the armed robbers, who sensed the Alhaji was going to remove all the money from his car and take it into the Mega Plaza, accosted him, as he wanted to enter the shopping plaza.
Defiant at the threat to his life with a pistol close to his nose, the Alhaji slugged it out with the armed robbers, who were dragging the bag of money from his hands.
Meanwhile, a team of anti-robbery police from Victoria Island Division, Bar Beach, Lagos, had been tipped off, which rushed to the scene of robbery.
When the robbers sighted the team of security operatives, and the Alhaji was not willing to release the cash, they shot him. However, the money and their lone operational weapon (pistol) were abandoned while they escaped with their motorcycle.
The family of the victim has asked the police to release the recovered N4.9 million to them, but the police have asked for more time to enable them complete their investigation, which could lead to the arrest of the armed robbers before the cash could be released to the family of the Alhaji.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Ademola Adebayo, DSP, confirmed the incident and disclosed that the victim, Alhaji Hassan Kazeem, later died in hospital.
The police imagemaker stated that the unco-operative attitude of the deceased led to his death. Said he: 'If he had released the cash to the robbers, there was a probability that he might not have been shot. The robbers thought he would leave the amount in his car when entering the Mega Plaza and by so doing they would have used a master key to open the car and cart away the money. But what this man did was to only remove N100,000 from the N5 million to do some shopping at the plaza. The envelope they found on him made them think he was taking away the cash into the Mega Plaza and this jolted them to action and they accosted him at gunpoint.
'But rather than release the money to his assailants he resisted them. That was what happened. And when policemen from Victoria Island got a distress call that a gang of two armed robbers operating with a motorcycle was attacking a customer in front of Mega Plaza, a team of anti-robbery policemen from the division raced to the scene.
And on sighting the security operatives the suspects, who were dragging the cash from the Alhaji, shot him and fled.
'It was when they sighted the team of policemen that they shot the Alhaji, who was defiant. They abandoned the N4.9 million and their Russian made pistol before escaping with their motorcycle.
The security operatives would have gone after them but the robbers meandered through the busy highway with their motorcycle while the police could not make progress with their vehicle due to hold-up," Adebayo said.
On why the recovered cash was still in police custody, Adebayo said there was no way the police could release such a large amount of money to the deceased's family until investigation is concluded, which would assist in tracking down the fleeing armed robbers.
'The money can only be returned to the family of the deceased on bond," the PPRO said.