••• Police kills one, recovers  military weapons

By Evelyn Usman

The serene  atmosphere reminiscent  of Eleweeran, along Abeokuta/Ibadan road in  Ogun state,  was  Tuesday punctured by the staccato sound of armed robbers’ gunshots as they stormed the area to snatch vehicles.

Consequently, commercial and social activities in the area came to a total standstill.  Motorists quickly made u-turns, while passers-by and road side traders scampered in different directions for safety to avoid being hit by stray bullets.

The fierce gun battle was between a 12-man notorious robbery gang which specialised in snatching vehicles from various parts of the country and sold same  across the nation’s border.

The cross border bandits as gathered, were fleeing an operation scene in Ibadan , in two Utility Jeeps and two other vehicles. Time was 1.pm.

Crime Alert gathered that the bandits beat security operatives in Ibadan and headed straight to Ogun. But unknown to them, the Oyo state Command had alerted its Ogun state counterpart, which subsequently drafted its men to strategic positions around the state.

On reaching Elewe-Eran, the bandits were said to have been stopped by a team of policemen but  ignored the policemen directive. Rather, they were said to have spontaneously opened fire, apparently to scare the policemen away.

*Recovered weapons

The operatives said to have been joined  by their colleagues who laid ambush for the robbers, responded fire -fire, thereby turning the entire Elewe-Eran into a theatre of war.

The gun duel was said to have lasted over twenty minutes. In the process, a bullet from the police reportedly hit one of the drivers of the Infinity jeeps, causing the vehicle to lose control.

A drama as gathered, unfolded itself as three occupants of the Infinity Jeep which tyres were also deflated by bullets from the police jumped out, carrying their dead colleague and kept shooting. In their confusion, another member was reportedly hit by a bullet. Report said the dead robber was dropped while the injured one was carried into a near-bush.

Police reacts
Commenting on the incident, the command spokesman, Mr Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said, “ about 09.15hrs, the Commissioner of Police Oyo State Command phoned the Commissioner of Police Ogun State Command, CP. Musa A. Daura, that a gang of Cross-Border bandits operated in Ibadan and was  heading towards Abeokuta.

The CP immediately deployed men at strategic places, particularly in front of the State Command headquarters Eleweran located along Abeokuta/Ibadan road.

At exactly 13.05hrs, the armed bandits in their operational vehicles at the main gate of the State Headquarters, started firing sporadically and our men  countered them in a fierce gun duel that lasted for almost 20 minutes. The bandits were however over-powered by the superior power fire of our men.

“Consequently, this led to the death of one of them, while others fled with  bullet wounds, abandoning two of their operational vehicles.”, Adejobi stated.
Military weapons recovered

When the abandoned car was searched, Adejobi  said several weapons which included a Military multi purpose machine gun with number KN 276, two Military rocket launchers, five rockets, four dynamites, three strands of explosive cord and a total of one hundred and fifteen magazines painted Military colour fully loaded with thirty rounds of live ammunition each were recovered.

Other recovered weapons he said  included nine hundred and fifty rounds of live 7.62 by 39mm ammunition, five hundred and seventy-two rounds of live 7.62mm by 57mm ammunition, eighty expended magazines painted military colour.

Also recovered at the scene according to him, were “one Hyunda Elentra with registration number AL 326 DDA and a Mazda 626 with plate number 356 TTN.

He therefore re-stated the Ogun state Commissioner of Police, Mr Musa Daura resolve “to rid the state of hoodlums. The command under the leadership of CP Musa Daura is determined to make the state crime-free so that all and sundry will sleep with their eyes closed”.