One dead in police,armed robbers’ gun battle......SEE PHOTO

firstclassnewsline.net

Firstclass newsline gathered that the deceased suspect, who was
identified as Eneni Nwane, was one of three robbery suspects which had
their hideout among the plank houses in the area.
Firstclass newsline learnt that during the crossfire, a policeman,
Corporal Mohammed Abubakar, who is attached to the Special
Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja, which stormed the robbers' hideout, was
shot by the suspected robbers, while a 54-year-old woman, identified
simply as Adewumi was also hit.
It was learnt that the suspects belonged to a gang notorious for
snatching expensive vehicles, as well as robbing residents of the
Seven-Up, Ijora.
Firstclass newsline gathered that the police had earlier arrested four
members of the gang, who were helping the operatives to fish out their
accomplices.
One of the suspects, Gbolahan Lawal, reportedly led the police to the
Ijora Badia area on Friday when the shootout occurred.
A police source said two of the robbery suspects, who exchanged fire
with the police, escaped on water after Nwane was shot.
He said, "It was at about 10pm on Friday. We had already arrested some
members of the gang. It was one of these suspects who took us to their
hideout in the Ijora Badia area so that we could arrest more suspects.
Nwane was one of them.
"The robbers stayed in one of the plank houses in the area. When they
suspected police presence, they opened fire on us. We replied, and
there was a heavy shootout. In the process, they shot a policeman in
the leg and also a woman.
"As the gun battle continued, Nwane was hit.
"We actually arrested him with the bullet wound, but he died later.
When the two others saw this, they fled."
A source gathered that the police recovered four stolen cars, two
AK-47 rifle magazines, several live and expended ammunition from the
gang.
A locally-made pistol was also recovered.
Lawal, 26, who hails from Ibadan, Oyo State, told a source that he
had gone with the gang on five operations before he was arrested.
He said, "One of the cars we snatched was a Toyota Camry, and we
snatched it in the Bariga area of Lagos. We had four guns which we
normally used for operations.
"We have gone on about five robbery operations. When the police
arrested four of us, the others escaped at that time."
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Kenneth Nwosu,
said he would get back to firstclass newsline on the matter.
He, however, had yet to do so as of press time.
Firstclassnewsline.net