Robbers on power bikes attack bullion van

Commercial activities at Ijora Badia, in the Apapa
area of Lagos State, came to a halt on Wednesday
when policemen and robbers engaged in a gun
duel. PUNCH Metro learnt that the robbers, who had
arrived Marine Bridge on several power bikes,
dislodged a bullion van laden conveying a huge
amount of money from its escort vehicle by
opening fire at them. It was said that the robbers started shooting
sporadically into the air to scare motorists and
residents, and attempted to escape with the
bullion van. Their progress was said to have been
slowed down by heavy traffic. Our correspondent learnt that the Divisional Police
Officer, Apapa, Usman Ndanbabo, and policemen
from the Area B Command arrived at the scene
after being alerted by the sound of gunfire. The
robbers reportedly disembarked from the bullion
van and engaged the police in a shootout. Other police divisions within the area command
were said to have also blocked all the escape
routes and dispatched anti-robbery teams to
assist the Apapa Division. In the gun duel which lasted for several minutes,
a member of the Nigerian Navy and two other
civilians were said to have sustained injuries. However, one of the robbers was reportedly shot
dead while another was arrested. It was learnt that the Navy personnel and the
others, who were injured were rushed to a nearby
hospital for treatment. As of press time, the
condition of the injured could not be ascertained. The Police Public Relations Officer, Lagos Police
Command, Ngozi Braide, told our correspondent
on the telephone that the remaining suspects
escaped with bullet wounds. Braide said, “The DPO of Apapa Division was
informed of the gunfire around Ijora Badia Bridge
and dispatched a team of anti-robbery policemen.
The robbers opened fire on the policemen and
our men retaliated. One of the robbers was killed,
another arrested, while the others escaped with bullet wounds. “A yellow unregistered power bike, with the
inscription, Apache Hipar, was recovered from the
robbers as well as two Ak-47 rifles with double
magazine each loaded with 30 rounds of
ammunition. “Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing to arrest
the fleeing suspects but normalcy has returned to
the area.” PUNCH Metro had reported on October 9, 2013,
that some gunmen, on a bike, shot and killed
three policemen in a patrol van in Ijora Olopa area
of the state. Police sources told our correspondent that they
were working on the theory that it was the same
gang of robbers that operated on Wednesday. A policeman from Area ‘C’ Police Command,
Surulere, Lagos, who pleaded for anonymity,
identified the dead robber as one of the culprits. “You may recall that two weeks ago, five
policemen on patrol were shot and three of them
died while two survived after the robbers on a
bike opened fire on their vehicle. One of the
surviving policemen gave us information and
from what we put together, it is highly possible that it is the same gang,” he said