4th April, 2013
A Rapid Response Squad, RRS, officer attached to Pen Cinema Police Station under Area ‘G’ Ogba Lagos State, southwest Nigeria, Constable Nafiu was killed early this morning during a gun battle between the police and armed robbers who stormed a new generation bank along College Road, Ogba.
When P.M.NEWS visited the bank this morning, security personnel in the bank were seen directing the bank customers to another branch at Caterpillar bus stop along Ijaiye Road, Ogba for business transaction.
Also, the Chief Security Officer of the bank was at the scene to see things for himself.
He was supervising other personnel of the bank to take photographs of the bank’s premises which was riddled with bullets.
He declined to speak with our correspondent and also refused to identify himself. He simply directed our correspondent to go to the bank’s head office on Lagos Island.
Investigations by P.M.NEWS revealed that the robbers arrived the bank as early as 3a.m. and started shooting into the bank premises indiscriminately which attracted policemen from Pen Cinema on patrol. And the policemen were said to have raced to the scene and on sighting the police men, the robbers opened fire on them and this resulted in a gun duel.
At the end of the gun battle, Constable Nafiu was killed while three others sustained serious gun injuries.
One of the injured Cops, Inspector Friday, told P.M.NEWS that he was receiving treatment.
No arrest has been made.
The gate of the bank was riddled with bullets and the two patrol vehicles brought by the police were badly damaged by the robbers.
When P.M.NEWS visited Area ‘G’ Police Command to get the comment of the Area Commander ACP Ishola Abdulahi, he was said to be very busy and all efforts to reach him on phone proved abortive.
A resident of Karaole Estate close to the scene, who identified himself only as Baba Bose, described the shooting as terrible as no one slept from 3a.m. when the operation started till Thursday morning.
“The shooting was too much. In fact I thought it was in our compound that the robbery was taking place,” he said.
—Yusuf Muhammed