The police in Imo State on Saturday foiled a robbery attack in the Ikenegbu area of Owerri, the state capital.
The armed robbers stormed a gold shop, Goldwise Wisdom Gold stores, in Owerri.
Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that on arrival in a white pick-up van, the criminals wore military uniforms and were heavily armed.
They were said to have moved into the shop and stole items worth millions of naira and were said to be on their way out before a policeman who accompanied an unidentified personality to have his lunch at a nearby eatery suspected foul play and opened fire on them.
The five-man gang immediately returned the fire and started shooting indiscriminately, causing people to close their shops and run for their lives.
The policeman’s bullet caught the driver of the gang and he died instantly.
His gang members quickly disembarked from the Hilux van and started running while shooting in the air.
One of the eyewitnesses said, “The policeman suspected foul play and quickly opened fire on them. He killed the driver of the gang and four other members jumped out and started shooting. Police reinforcement from the command headquarters quickly arrived. Two were caught while others escaped.”
It was learnt that the items they stole were immediately recovered from them.
Another eyewitness told our correspondent that he was grateful to God that no innocent soul was killed in the incident.
He said, “They were in army camouflage. As they stormed the plaza in a Hilux van, residents and traders around that vicinity thought they were policemen or military men but to their utmost dismay, they were men of the underworld. As they were busy harvesting the gold from the shelves, a policeman attached to someone who came to buy one item or the other noticed that it was a robbery attack and fired at the driver and gunned him down, thereby disrupting the movement of the robbers. They took to their heels by foot.”
Parading the body of the suspect and the two others caught alive at the command headquarters, the police spokesman, Henry Okoye, said the state Commissioner of police, Muhammed Berde, was grateful to the operatives who foiled the attack and caught the suspects.
Okoye gave the names of the suspects as Peter Gaura, 27, from Kogi State, whom he described as a dismissed soldier and Promise Joshua, 25, from Delta State.
He added, “In the gun duel that ensued, one of the hoodlums was neutralised, two were arrested while others escaped with various degrees of gunshot injuries.
“During a search of the suspects and the scene, the following items were recovered: two pump action guns, four locally-made pistols, eight rounds of live cartridges, one expanded cartridges, the Hilux van used for the operation, with Registration Number BRR 586 XA, after removing the black cloth used in covering the number plate.”
He listed other items as jewellery valued at millions of naira, two military wears, two special forces T-shirts and bags containing other stolen items were recovered.
He added, “Due to the swift response, none of the shop owners or customers was hurt. Manhunt is intensified to arrest other fleeing suspects and the manufacturers of the locally-made pistols. The duo suspect will be investigated thoroughly and arraigned upon completion of a discreet investigation by the command’s tactical team. The body of the neutralised suspects will be deposited at the morgue.
“While commending the operatives for a job well-done, the Commissioner of Police urged them to sustain the tempo in the ongoing crusade against all forms of crime and criminality in the state.”
One of the suspects, Promise, told journalists that he worked as a bouncer at a popular hotel newly opened in Owerri.
