BY CHIDI NKWOPARA,

International reggae star, Jimmy Cliff, once sang an award winning song: “The harder they come, the harder they fall”. The meaning of this song manifested last Monday, June 6, 2011, when one out of a five-member gang of dare devil armed robbers, who wanted to rob a filling station at Ugwu Orji, an outskirt of Owerri municipality, was gunned down by eagle-eyed policemen on patrol.

Giving a graphic account of the incident in Owerri, the Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Linus Nwaiwu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, DSP, said the robbers were operating in a red Toyota Camry car.

“A robbery gang of five stormed Impetus filling station, Ugwu Orji, Owerri, at about 10am last Monday and attempted to rob the attendant identified as Chibuike”, the PPRO said.

According to Nwaiwu, trouble started for the gang when one of them who was later identified as Ikechukwu Otubelu armed with AK47 rifle, alighted from their red Toyota Camry car and walked straight to the petrol attendant.

“He attempted to dispossess Chibuike of all the proceeds from the day’s sales. In a bid to show that he was serious about his unholy demand, the hoodlum shot the petrol attendant on his leg. This attracted the attention of a policeman around the scene”, Nwaiwu said.

“The policeman quickly took a vantage position from where he rained some shots on the invading robbers. In the ensuing scenario, the robbery was not only foiled but the said Ikechukwu was also hit by the police bullet, while others quickly escaped in their waiting Camry car”, the PPRO recounted. According to Mr. Nwaiwu, items recovered from the robbers include an AK 47 rifle with three magazines fully loaded with 54 rounds of ammunition and a cash of N3,840.

Answering a question on the fate of the petrol attendant who was shot by the rampaging robbers, the Imo police spokesman disclosed that he was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital where spirited attempt by the medical team of the hospital was made to save his life.

“The remains of Ikechukwu Otubelu has been deposited in the morgue of Federal Medical Center, Owerri, where a post mortem examination would be conducted before other legal matters would be followed before finally disposing the case”, Nwaiwu said.

In a similar development, one Obasi Abah, who claims to be a native of Abiriba Ohafia, Abia State, was also arrested with a locally- made pistol when he attempted to rob occupants of Uchegbu Paul and Paul Hotel, Nkwo Orji, Owerri North local council area of the state, while his colleague -in -crime and a student of Imo State Polytechnic, Umuagwo, Ohaji/Egbema local government area escaped.

“Discreet and painstaking investigation has commenced in this matter with a view to unraveling the identities of the fleeing robbers”, the image maker of Imo Police Command said.

He advised Nigerian youths to stay away from crime, pointing out that perpetrators of such crimes will always be exposed and in most cases, end up in tragedy. The PPRO equally reiterated the determination of the Command to ensure that adequate security is provided for the people of the state at all times.