By DAUD OLATUNJI
ABEOKUTA— A gang of armed robbers yesterday attacked  a patrol team  of policemen at Opako, on Abeokuta-Lagos  old road, leaving one officer  identified as Mukaila, seriously injured while others escaped with gun shots wounds. The robbers were said to be returning from  a  successful robbery operation in Abeokuta, the state capital.

According  to an eye-witness, the robbers, numbering about  ten, attacked  the policemen on their way out of the state after they dispossessed  an oil dealer of  N3.5 million at Panseke in Abeokuta.

Vanguard gathered that the robbers  had  struck  at Panseke, opposite a popular eatery and immediately headed towards Adigbe road to link Obada Oko via Abeokuta/Lagos road before they met some policemen on patrol at Opako.

It was learnt that a white bus which was ahead of the gang’s vehicle suddenly  stopped at Opako bus stop to alert the Police team, which forced  the robbers to  make  a u-turn few meters after the stop and search point and attacked the officers.

The source told Vanguard that, the gun duel lasted for about 30 minutes  after which it was discovered that Mukaila had sustained severe injury in his arm as bullets reportedly  shattered  his  left hand.

When Vanguard  visited the scene, it was discovered that a  nearby slaughter slab  had been deserted  while the place looked like a ghost town  as the butchers and their customers  scampered for safety.

Vanguard also gathered that for several minutes, motorists avoided the area and at the  time of this report, a cluster of  policemen was seen discussing the incident.

When contacted  for reaction, the State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said he was yet to be briefed .

Meantime, palpable tension  gripped residents of Abeokuta  following the report of planned attack by members of   Amalgamated Commercial Motorcycle Owners and Riders Association of Nigeria, ACOMORAN, over leadership tussle.

There had been insinuations that the two  factions would clash over who is the authentic chairman of the association, a situation  which led to the arrest of  some members of the association by operatives of State Security Service, SSS.