By Okolie Ifeanyi

Tears flowed, weekend, at Ode-Aye town in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo State, as the remains of Police Sergeant Felix Igbasan, was buried.

He died from bullet wounds sustained during a gun fight with a notorious gang of armed robbers terrorising the Federal Captain Territory, FCT, Abuja, Kogi, Kano, Benue and Kaduna states.

Igbasan, who was confirmed dead few days after he was admitted at Maitama General Hospital in Abuja, is survived by a widow, three children, siblings and his an aged mother.

Igbasan was described by his colleagues as a gallant officer, who had taken part in several high risk operations within the country, including the arrest of notorious armed robbers and kidnappers across the country.

Suspects arrested

Meanwhile, eight members of the robbery gang that engaged policemen in the fight that led to Igbasan’s death were arrested in Abuja and Kaduna State.

Three AK-47 rifles and the gang’s operational vehicle were recovered.

Igbasan had won several awards, including the Inspector General of Police Award for courage and the Lagos State Governor’s of Award for Excellence, while attached to Lagos State Police Command Special Anti-Robbery Squad, SARS.

He was said to be instrumental to the arrest of the notorious armed robber czar, Abeodun Ogunjobi, popularly known as Godogodo, who terrorised the entire south western part of the country, killing over 50 policemen in his 15-year reign.

The last order

Police authorities disclosed to Vanguard that Igbasan was transferred from the Lagos State Police Command to the IGP Special Intelligence Response Team, IRT, made up of elite operatives trained specially to combat robbers, kidnappers and terrorists across the country.

It was gathered that the IGP, Ibrahim Idris, had directed the IRT to trail and apprehend the gang after they robbed the home of a senior officer of the Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, in Abuja.

Vanguard gathered that the IRT operatives trailed the gang to its hideout in Lugbe area of Abuja, but Igbasan was not lucky as he sustained bullet wounds during the ensuing shootout between the police and the gang members.

While addressing members of Igbasan’s family at his burial, the Officer in charge of the IRT, CSP Abba Kyari, said Igbasan’s death was a very huge loss to the force.

Kyari also disclosed that IG Idris had also given Igbasan a post-mortem promotion to the rank of an Inspector.