By EVELYN USMAN & RUTH CHUKWUEMEKA
Four suspected members of a notorious robbery gang that has been terrorizing residents of Ilasamaja and its environs were at the early hours of yesterday shot dead during a gun duel with a team of policemen from Ilasamaja division.
The robbers numbering over seven as gathered, stormed a building on Ibadan street where they reportedly held the residents hostage and carried out a room-to room operation. They reportedly dispossessed the residents of cash, phones and other valuables.
They however met their Waterloo, when the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ilamaja division, Mr Ochogwu Ogbe, drafted Anti robbery policemen to the scene, following a distress call he received. Sighting the policemen, the robbers reportedly opened fire and during the cross fire, four of them laid dead.
Residents of the area throng the police station as early as 7am to their surprise, the dead suspects were discovered to be residents of the area. The on-lookers identified two of the dead men as members of the Bale chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers. Their identities were given as Soji Afolabi and Ahmed Babalola, both from Ondo state , who resided number 3 Osoyintola and 3 Sofuye streets respectively. One of them was also said to be a member of the outlawed Odua Peoples Congress.
Confirming the incident, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Ngozi Braide said two of the dead suspects were arrested last month for vandalizing a vehicle but hinted that they were later released after the complainant decided to withdraw the case , saying he did not want to go to court.
Recovered at the end of the gun duel according to her, were three locally made guns and several mobile phones suspected to have been stolen from their victims. She said other member of the gang fled with bullets wounds and therefore advised management of hospitals around to be on the look out for patients with bullet wounds who might come for treatment.
" Residents are advised to report anybody that has gunshot wound to the nearest police station. Medical Doctors should also come forward if anybody comes to them to extract bullets from any part of their body or to treat any gunshot wound. This is to help the police get the armed robbers that escaped from the crime scene", Braide said.
Vanguard Nigeria