By Samuel Oyadongha & Emem Idio

YENAGOA—Angry residents of  Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, weekend confronted a four-man armed robbery gang along the upscale Oxbow Lake area for allegedly shooting a commercial tricycle operator and dispossessing his passengers of N3 million. The incident, it was learned, occurred at about noon on Saturday when the four-man gang attacked a tricycle and robbed a couple, Mr. and Mrs Eric Oyinodokoye, at gunpoint along the sparsely populated Oxbow Lake business area.

The hoodlums, operating in a Volkswagen car with number plate AL 305 AGU, reportedly blocked the tricycle that was carrying the couple. Armed with a locally made pistol, they were said to have shot the tricycle operator on the head, collected the sum of N3,000,000 from the occupants and zoomed off.

But luck ran out on the hoodlums as  their victims raised alarm which attracted a mob that gave them a hot chase and eventually caught three of them, while one escaped. The mob reportedly pounced on the suspected robbers and beat them to pulp before the police arrived.

One of the suspects, identified as Jeff, later died and his corpse was deposited in an undisclosed hospital for autopsy. The fourth suspect was trailed and arrested at Swali in possession of a locally made pistol and N144,500, part of the stolen money. Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Asinim Butswat, confirmed the incident.