Police Gun Down Suspected Armed Robber, Recover Weapons

LUCKY LAWAL

The onslaught against the twin evil of armed robbery and cultism in Lagos State received a boost on 19^th September, 2018, at about 2030hrs when the operatives of the State Police Command did not only intercept a rampaging criminal gang but killed one of them during a gun battle.

A tip off from a well meaning citizen to the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Owode Onirin, Ikorodu, Lagos, changed the game for the terror gang who had at about 1840hrs of same day at Demuren Street, Alapere, stabbed 32-year old Sylvester Chikwendu, suspected to be a rival cult member to death.

Sequel to the information, the DPO, mobilised a crack team to Thomas Bus-stop, Owode. He told his men to narrow the road and gave them a clear description of the gang’s operational vehicle. When the gang approached the police zone, they became desperate and opened fire on the operatives in their last effort to evade arrest eliciting immediate response from the team.

In the ensuing gun battle, one of suspected criminals died owing to bullet wounds sustained while the other members of the gang escaped with varying degrees of gunshot wounds. They abandoned the following items which had since been recovered at the scene; viz: their operational vehicle, a Toyota Camry saloon car without registration number, one pump action rifle, one locally  made revolver pistol, one locally made single barrel pistol, five live 9mm calibre ammunition, three live cartridges, two expended cartridges, two cutlasses, charms and assorted clothing.

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, CP Edgal Imohimi, said that the quick resolution of a crime that started at Alapere, should signal criminal elements that the security in place in the state is virtually impregnable. He added that now that we are in the ember months, police personnel serving in the state are under firm instruction to decisively subdue perpetrators of violent crimes.

The CP appealed to health care professionals including native doctors and other care givers, to be on the lookout for patients with gunshot wounds and inform the police within two hours of commencement of treatment in line with the compulsory treatment of victims of gunshot.