The police in Ogun says it has killed two members of an armed robbery syndicate who invaded “FASTLINK’’ electronic and phone warehouse in Ijebu-Ode in the early hours of Wednesday.
According to Abimbola Oyeyemi, the State Police Public Relations Officer, the robbers were shot dead in an encounter with operatives of the command, while one member of the group was apprehended alive.
“This followed a distress call received by the DPO Igbeba Division CSP Doga Najeem from a local vigilante leader, that the warehouse situated in Oyingbo area of Ijebu-ode has been invaded by robbers who were armed with dangerous weapons.
“Upon the distress call, the DPO mobilized his patrol team in-conjunction with So-safe corp, and moved to the scene.
“On sighting the policemen, the robbers engaged them in a gun battle for about an hour, at the end of which two members of the gang were fatally shot and one arrested.
“Others escaped in their standby vehicle with various degrees of gunshot injuries.
“On interrogation, the arrested one who identified himself as Isiaka Yakubu ‘m’ 28yrs an indigene of Yauri in Zamfara State claimed that the group were eight in number and they came from Lagos State where they have been hiding for some days before coming to Ijebu-ode for the operation.
“Recovered from them are: One locally made gun, one iron cutter, two cutlasses, one iron chisel, as well as phones and electrical material worth N6million which they removed from the warehouse,” he said.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Edward Ajogun who commended his men for their swift response to the distress call, has ordered the immediate transfer of the case to the state Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department for discreet investigation.
He also directed a massive hunt for the fleeing members of the gang with the view of bringing them to justice.
The CP while appealing to members of the public especially hospitals to report anybody seen with gunshot injury to the police, also warned criminals to stop testing the will-power of the command, as determination and resilience of officers and men to decisively deal with all forms of criminality in the state is unwavered.
