By Jimitota Onoyume
Port Harcourt – Rivers State Zonal Editor of Vanguard Newspaper Mr. George Onah, Monday escaped death by the whiskers when dare devil  armed robbers fired several bullets into his Kia Rio car as he made to drive out of his office premises when the robbers attacked a Hilux van, killing a mobile police escort and the driver of the van.

Some of the robbers were dressed in mobile police and military khaki uniforms and the shooting started at about 3.05 p.m. even as some of the big commercial houses along the road and around the scene had policemen guarding them.

Onah was attempting to drive into Ikwerre Road, when unknown to him the robbers had surrounded a Commercial bank, waiting for the van with registration no 758 ONG (a foreign number) carrying an unspecified amount of money. The robbers apparently thought that Onah would block their get away car and so had to demobilize him.

But the journalist laid flat in his car as the trigger happy robbers fired more rounds, raided the van and carted away the money that was in the trunk of it.  The commercial bank and Vanguard Newspaper premises  are situated about 200 metres from the police station and directly opposite Mile 1 Market (Rumuwoji).

Commercial activities and traffic flow were disrupted along the ever busy road as the staccato of bullets flew in different direction, forcing traders and pedestrians to scamper to safety. However, policemen from the Mile 1 Police headquarters later arrived the scene to remove the corpses of the policeman and driver of the van.

When contacted the commissioner of Police Mr. Suleman Abbah said the PPRO MR. Ben Uguegbulam would get back to the press when “detailed information on the matter is received”. The police later cordoned the area with armoured personnel carrier.