Five of the gunmen who stormed the 04 Hotel in Ajah area of
Lagos last Sunday have been confirmed dead.
The robbers were killed in the early hours of Sunday (yesterday)
in a shoot-out with the Special Anti Robbery Squad Ikeja, Lagos.
Several gunmen had stormed the hotel in a purported reprisal for
the arrest of a colleague by SARS operatives at the same hotel. Seven persons
including the owner of the hotel, Olarenwaju Subair, were killed in the attack.
Police sources who craved anonymity, told PUNCH Metro that the
robbers who were moving in a convoy of an Honda Odyssey and a Jeep on Sunday
(yesterday) for another operation, had earlier attacked some policemen at Ajah
and later at Ajao Estate before the shoot-out with SARS operatives.
A police source said, “The robbers began their operation around
1am at Ajah but just as they were moving out, they encountered a team of
policemen on routine patrol. They opened fire on them and in the ensuing
exchange of fire, one policeman was killed in the process and another wounded.
“Immediately, the robbers aborted their mission and drove drown
to Ajao Estate. They got to Ajao Estate at about 2am and attacked a major
dealer in phones, ipads and other ICT products.
“In the process, a police corporal, attached to the Mobile
Police Force was killed. Valuables worth millions of naira were carted away.”
Having received a directive from the Lagos Commissioner of
Police, Mr. Umar Manko, to apprehend the robbers, SARS operatives led by their
leader, SP Abba Kyari, were said to have laid ambush along the Mushin/Ojuelegba
areas while two more teams went towards the island to block the robbers escape.
Not long after, the robbers who eventually drove through the
Mushin/Ojuelegba road, were said to have opened fire on sighting the SARS
teams.
In an intense gunfight that reportedly lasted 30 minutes, the
robbers were chased from Stadium in Surulere to Eko Bridge.
The source said, “Some of the robbers had been wounded in the
car from the gunfight but that didn’t stop them from driving. It wasn’t until
the driver of one of their vehicles sustained a gunshot injury to the neck that
the vehicles stopped at Eko Bridge.
“Some were already dead in the car. Several more fled their
vehicles and jumped over the Eko Bridge into the ocean below. But some of those
who jumped must have been wounded, because there was blood on the rails of the
bridge.”
It was learnt that items from Ajao estate were recovered from
the vehicles of the robbers. Policemen from the Area A command and the Marine
Police later combed the waters, but did not find any corpse.
Manko confirmed the incident to PUNCH Metro.
He said, “Five robbers were killed in the exchange of
gunfire with SARS operatives. They had earlier attacked a major phone dealer at
Ajao Estate before they were ambushed by SARS operatives along the
Mushin/Ojuelegba areas.”
Source: Punch
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