There was anxiety and panic among residents of Tombia extension of the GRA, Port Harcourt, on Sunday as police engaged car thieves in a gun battle.
The suspects who reportedly snatched a car at gunpoint, however, ran out of luck as they ran into a team of police officers conducting stop and search.
According to the Rivers State Police Command’s spokesman, Nnamdi Omoni, the Anti-Robbery Patrol Team of the Sani Abacha Police Station, led by ASP Innocent Ikeh, while on stop and
search at Tombia Extension, near Market Square, GRA Phase II, had an
encounter with the gang of armed robbers, who had earlier snatched a Lexus Jeep 330 from the owner.
Omoni explained that the robbers ran into the Police stop and search point and on sighting the Police, beat a fast retreat but were given a hot chase which led to exchange of gun fire.
“They were however overpowered and in cause of the gun duel, one of them was fatally wounded, another was arrested alive and the third robber escaped with life threatening gun shot wounds.
” The snatched vehicle has been recovered and taken to the Station,
the victim has identified the two robbers as those who attacked her and collected her vehicle” he said.
Omoni added that the arrested suspect is making useful confessions and efforts have been intensified to arrest the fleeing gang member, who escaped with their Operational weapon.
He said that the battle against armed banditry in the State is still raging, adding that the Command will stop at nothing, in seeing that they are smoked out and dealt with according to Law.
