Robbers attack police outpost, bank in Ibadan •Kill 2 police officers

A gang of armed robbers, numbering about 17, invaded the Kara police out-post along old Oyo road, in the early hours of Sunday, killing the officer in charge, one Ademola Adekusile, an Assistant Superintendent of Police.
The armed robbers also reportedly went away with about four AK 47 rifles and the uniforms of all the police officers and men on duty.
Another casualty was an Hausa man, whose identity was yet to be known and who was shot dead in a shop he slept in beside the police post.
After disarming the policemen, the armed robbers invaded a new generation bank, beside the police post and attempted to break into the vault. The bank was said to have been their target.
Nigerian Tribune gathered that two of the armed robbers entered the police post at about 1.30a.m., and met the station guard and one constable at the counter.
They were said to have told the policemen that they should come and help them arrest some people who were fighting with them.
The station guard had replied them that they should wait till day break as the time they came was early hours of the day.
As they made to go, the armed robbers suddenly halted the policeman and ordered him to freeze or else he would be a dead man.
They were said to have shouted ‘Mopol’, after which 15 other gang members emerged from where they hid, all armed with rifles with three loaded magazines each.
One of them, who spoke to others in Hausa, was reportedly hushed by others when they noticed that one of the policemen looked like an Hausa man. Others were said to have conversed in Calabar language while some others also spoke in impeccable English.
It was further learnt that they tied the two policemen while some of them went to the quarters of the officer in charge right at the back of the station.
They broke into the room opposite the officer’s room and met another sergeant, who was said to be ill, there, and whom they tied with a laird. One of the armed robbers reportedly cautioned his gang member who asked whether he should ‘waste’ the sergeant.
Meanwhile, the deceased officer, who heard all the noise, had reportedly corked his rifle to confront the armed robbers but one of the hoodlums was said to have heard the sound and asked about the person who corked the rifle.
As he crouched in the room, one of the hoodlums kicked his door opened while another one started firing shots inside the room. The officer was said to have also shot one of the armed robbers before he was hit. He reportedly died instantly.
The armed robbers gained entrance into his room after killing him, ransacking everywhere, after which they made away with his rifle and police uniforms.
They also loosened the sergeant and took him to the charge room to keep him where other policemen were tied.
They reportedly collected the station guard’s rifle and the uniforms of the policemen, after which they went to the armoury and took two other rifles they found there.
The armed robbers were said to have thought that the shop beside the police station was part of it, which reportedly made them shoot at it, killing a Hausa man who owned the shop which doubled as his residence.
The man had struggled out of the shop, only to slump outside and die.
When the Nigerian Tribune visited the scene, the doors of the shop were seen perforated with four bullet holes, while there were blood stains on the grass where the Hausa man fell.
After disarming the police, 12 of the armed robbers reportedly gained entrance into the bank which was next door, armed with two huge cylinders and other implements put in a ‘Ghana-must-go’ bags, while others kept watch outside to counter any resistance.
On hearing about the incident, the Deputy Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Mr Clement Adoda, visited the scene of crime very early before day break.
Nigerian Tribune learnt that the corpses of the deceased officer and the Hausa man had been deposited in the mortuary for autopsy.
As policemen and detectives gathered at the front of the police post discussing about the incident, a charm which was buried in the ground in front of the station was noticed and pulled out.
It was said that such charms were meant to hold people down during robbery operation so that they would not be able to make contact while it would also keep people away from the environment while the operation would last.
Reacting to the development, the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, Olabisi Okuwobi-Ilobanafor, described the killing of the officer as unfortunate, saying that he died as a gallant officer who resisted at the armed robbers before he was overpowered.
The PPRO said that the police command was already making efforts towards catching up with the criminals, stating that a manhunt for them had already commenced.
She appealed to members of the public who come across anyone with bullet wounds to alert the police, adding that all police commands across the nation had been alerted about the incident and the police uniforms and rifles that were carted away.
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