Men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Ogun State have shot dead four suspected armed robbers who allegedly attempted to attack bureau de change operators at Itoku Market in Abeokuta. The policemen also arrested two members of the gang during a gun duel, which lasted about one hour on Sunday.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Muyiwa Adejobi, disclosed this yesterday while parading the two suspects at SARS office at Magbon, Abeokuta. Adejobi said the incident occurred under the newly constructed flyover at Itoku Market about 9:30pm on Sunday.
The PPRO added that the suspected armed robbers were based in Ghana and often come into Nigeria to carry out their operations. According to him, those arrested, Adamu Bamako and Ibrahim Tanko, appeared to be foreign nationals. Adejobi said the suspects could not speak English.
According to him, they only speak Hausa Language. The suspects, he added, did not have any fixed address and did not identify their states of origin. He said: “The SARS had placed them under surveillance through information that we have gathered from different angles that these members of the syndicate are based in Ghana, Togo, because they are not Nigerians.
“The SARS laid ambush for the syndicate. When they got to the scene, there was an exchange of gunfire. They engaged our men in gun duel that lasted for almost an hour which was so serious. “Four of them fell during the battle while two of them were fatally injured and were arrested. One of our men sustained injury and has been treated.”
Adejobi told journalists that the two arrested suspects would be given medical treatment to enable the command to extract further information from them to assist in its investigation. He restated the commitment of the state Police Commissioner, Val Ntomchukwu, to providing adequate security for lives and property.
