Posted by By Elyger Agwu with additional reports from Ogbonna Nwuke on
The raiders made their way through the river Thursday, heading in the direction of Akinima and the shoreline that would bring them to land.
The raiders made their way through the river Thursday, heading in the direction of Akinima and the shoreline that would bring them to land.
They were about thirty and dangerously armed.
No one thus far, knows where they came from or who they are.
On hitting the shore, they made their way up.
Then they struck with lightening speed, hijacking two baby-faced buses and drove to the local government council office, their guns blazing as they advanced.
At the council and at the police station, men and women as well as children within the vicinity took to their heels as the guns boomed and the battle ready youthful elements defiantly approached.
At the council, unable to break open the treasury vault, the gun wielding gang still shooting in all directions made straight to the police station which is adjacent to the council.
The police were apparently helpless especially in the face of the surprise attack and the quality of the guns of the attackers.
The next thing the gang had succeeded in carting away money meant for the payment of officers much to the ridicule of the officers and men at the station.
Incidentally, the Telegraph has authoritatively learnt that about two months ago, a total of 15 mobile policemen from PMF 19 were posted to Akinima.
If what we hear is correct, only nine out of the 15 were truly armed on the day of the incident, explaining why the police embarrassingly could not face the hoodlums.
Right now, according to well-informed police sources, the 15 men are cooling off in detention.
They are being held at the Rivers State Force headquarters, Moscow Road, with their interrogators attempting to get to the root of the matter at Akinima.
What remains a puzzle is how the robbers came to know about the money.
The time of their strike might suggest that there may exist some inside collaborators.
There are no signs that the raiders went their way by land.
Our sources hint that they may have withdrawn to the waterfront from whence they came and drifted off to a destination unknown
Copyright 2004© The Port Harcourt