The robbers, all armed with pistols, were said to have shot a female attendant at Forte Oil and killed the sergeant at Dapsey filling station. While the robbers succeeded in robbing Fawa and Forte Oil filling stations, they failed at Dapsey due to presence of policemen and soldiers. Although the law enforcement officers ensured that the filling station was not robbed, a sergeant was killed, while a
soldier was injured.
The bandits first attacked Fawa, then moved to Forte Oil and later proceeded to Dapsey filling station. The police sergeant, identified simply as Akor, was said to have been killed when the robbers stormed the filling station about 9p.m. The filling station, located at Olowonla bus stop, was busy when the robbers arrived in a Honda car. Immediately they stormed the station, they shot sporadically into the air, forcing everyone to scamper to safety.
The wounded soldier, who does not want his name mentioned, said: “Immediately the armed robbers entered the petrol station, they shot at me. I was standing with two policemen near one of the parked petrol tankers. They deliberately rammed into us with their car, aiming to crush us to death. “When the robbers noticed they had missed, they started shooting indiscriminately. One of the stray bullets hit me on my leg.
I ran for cover. In the process of escaping, I hit my face on the ground; that was how I sustained the wound on my face. In the process of defending ourselves, another policeman lost his rifle to the robbers. He narrowly escaped death, but had injuries.” The incident was said to have occurred some meters away from Igando Police Division. Residents were said to have panicked as gunshots rent the air. A resident, Mr. Frances Adeleke, said: “The late police sergeant, on sighting the armed robbers, chased them. But while pursuing them, he left his gun behind.
As the robbers saw him coming after them, they shot repeatedly at him, but their bullets didn’t penetrate. The sergeant was shouting, ‘ you no fit,’ ‘you no fit.’ When the armed robbers noticed that their bullets didn’t penetrate, they fled and abandoned their damaged car.
They hijacked a car and attempted to run. An hour later, the manager of the petrol station, Tijani, who is presently in police custody, was said to have led some staff in search of the sergeant when he didn’t return. “When the search team arrived at O Mark bus stop, the sergeant was found in a pool of blood by the road side. He was immediately rushed to a nearby private hospital where he was confirmed dead.”
The Managing Director of Dapsey, who gave his name simply as Dapo, confirmed the incident, but noted that it was the resistance of the late policeman that prevented the robbers from gaining access into his office to steal money. However, Dapo frowned at the inability of the Igando Police Division to respond to distress call when the robbers struck. H said: “I am not happy that the robbers were not challenged by the policemen from Igando Division despite having robbed three petrol stations including Forte Oil at Lanre bus stop and injuring a lady at another petrol station.” The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Chike Oti, confirmed the attack.
He said: “When the robbers were trying to escape, they hit a policeman, but unknown to the robbers that there were other policemen in mufti who shot at the robbers. The robbers lost control of their car and hit a tanker parked in the petrol station. “But a policeman who was somewhere watching what was going on came out and shot at them again and they fled. The policeman ran after them and he was shot dead in the process. Two persons have been arrested and they are helping us in our investigation.” Oti said the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal, had ordered intense manhunt for other members of the gang.
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