By Tony Edike, Enugu
Dare-devil armed robbers yesterday attacked a bullion van conveying a huge sum of money from Enugu to an Nsukka branch of a commercial bank carting away the money and killing two policemen escorting the van.

Another policeman and three other persons including two occupants of a Hilux van belonging to Julius Berger Nigeria Limited were hit by stray bullets during the sporadic shooting by the armed bandits.

Also yesterday, the Enugu State police command confirmed the arrest and detention of the Divisional Police Officer, DPO, for Igboeze South local government in Enugu state, Chief Superintendent of Police, CSP Ameh J. Omakaji, who reportedly shot dead a revenue staff of the council, Mr. Ifeanyi Omeke from Umu Ela Village, Echarra Quarters, Ibagwa-Aka on Wednesday.

Saturday Vanguard learnt that the robbery incident occurred at Fenpark junction of the Enugu road in Nsukka town at about 10.45 am Friday.The armed men numbering about 10 were said to have trailed the bullion van and the police escort vehicle from Opi-Nsukka road but on getting to the Fenpark junction, they double-crossed the escort vehicle and engaged the policemen in a shootout.

An eye-witness said that the policemen were immediately overpowered as two of them were shot dead leaving another with a severe bullet wound as they drove. the robbers ordered the bullion van driver to drive ahead of their own Toyota Sienna space wagon towards the Queen’s College, Nsukka.

The hoodlums fired at different directions in the process during which three persons sustained bullet wounds and were later taken to Bishop Shanahan Hospital for treatment.“The armed robbers succeeded in taking the bullion van and its driver away but on getting to a place near Queen’s College, they brought out a gas cylinder and a welding machine with which they ripped open the roof of the van and transferred the bags containing the money into the Sienna and drove away.

“But few meters from the area, they snatched a V-Booth Mercedes Benz car with which they conveyed the money and headed towards Ehamufu in Isiuzo local government area,” the eyewitness who preferred anonymity said.

The State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu who confirmed the incident yesterday said that several police patrol teams were immediately dispatched to Nsukka to ensure a crackdown on the fleeing robbery gang.
However, the police spokesman announced that the command made a breakthrough at about 3.50 pm, saying the patrol teams encountered the hoodlums along Ehamufu – Nkalagu road as they attempted to escape into Ebonyi State.

“The combined Army-Police Patrol teams pursued them from Nsukka through Ehalumona, Umunko, Ehamufu road in Isiuzo local government and encountered them along Ehamufu – Nkalagu road.  A General Purpose Machine Gun, GPMG and the stolen money were recovered but the actual amount has not been ascertained for now,” Amaraizu said.

He said that while fleeing from Nsukka, the armed robbers changed vehicles three times – from their Sienna to ENTRACO mass transit bus, which they later dropped and snatched a Peace Mass Transit bus and finally dumped it for a Mercedes V. Booth in which they were apprehended.

Meanwhile, the police command said that the DPO in-charge of Igboeze South local government police division who was accused of shooting a staff of the council was arrested and detained at the police headquarters Friday while investigation into the incident had commenced.

The PPRO stated that the DPO was arrested following the information that he was the person that shot the deceased Omeke and sent a deceptive signal claiming that the young man was shot by two unidentified persons driving in a black car.

“The initial information we got was not true. We later got true report of what happened there on Wednesday which led to the protest by the people of the community on account of which the DPO has been arrested and he is currently being detained at the Police Headquarters while officials of the State Criminal Investigations Department, CID, have been detailed to investigate the incident,” said the PPRO.