The dare devil robbers went on a shooting spree. They bombed banks before emptying them of cash and then threw the loot at commercial motorcycle riders and otherwise panic-stricken residents.

It was indeed an admixture of fear and excitement for many fleeing residents who ran back to scramble for the flying Naira notes while the robbers cruised out of town.

The dare devils, who were both daring and devilish at the university town, also bombed a Police station and killed a Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Jonathan Ejetiga. The men of the underworld thereafter ravaged one bank after the other and literally sacked the town.

The manger of the Nsukka branch of the bank and a mobile Police man who received gun shots were later rushed to a nearby hospital.

The Mobile Police officer, who was taken to the Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka, was reportedly shot along the Nsukka -Adani -Onitsha federal highway as the hoodlums made their escape.

But Ejetiga was not lucky. He was recently transferred to the Police station where he was said to have already begun providing what looked like a dependable leadership in combating the growing crime in the area.

The hoodlums, who raided four banks in the town, operated in four vehicles -- a Toyota Hillux van, a Sports Utility Van (SUV), a bus with which they carted away cash and a Peugeot 406 car.

As at 4.00 p.m. yesterday, smoke was still thick in the air at the bombed police station where the hoodlums targeted the armoury. They blew up the roof of the building and freed all detainees there.

Police eye witnesses and others were categorical that the robbers were so armed that it would have taken heavily armed military men to subdue them.

At one of the banks,a security official told the Nigerian Compass on Saturday that the robbers were armed with all sorts of weapons and that they left a battle axe in the banking hall.

The robbers operated freely and threw away some bundles of Naira notes at some onlookers, some of whom scrambled for the money. They did that at the Total Round About and upland around the motor park.

According to a Police officer, "when they got to this place (Police Station), everybody had to run because of the kind of arms they were using".

They strolled into the adjacent building housing the office of the Police Area Commander for Nsukka area command and blew open an iron door. The whole frontage of the building was last night riddled with bullet holes.

In the seemingly well-organised operation, the robbers raided two new generation banks simultaneously: They share a common fence near the Motor Park. The robbers had first attacked two other banks that are adjacent to each other.

It was near the two banks situated opposite the St. Theresa's Catholic Cathedral that the DPO was shot dead as he led his men in a feeble attempt to challenge the robbers.

A cyber cafe operator who saw them drive into the town and also witnessed the operation told the Nigerian Compass on Saturday:

"They had three GMG (Ghana Must Go) bags of ammunition." All Police officers who spoke on the incident said that the robbers wore chain bullets and wielded guns that they had not seen before.

From the venues of the bank robberies to the Police station, arguably scenes of war, expended and live bullets littered the town.

Unconfirmed reports also hinted that on their escape during which they shot the mobile Police man, the hoodlums also dealt a heavy blow to a Police patrol team on the way.

It was suspected that those who carried out the operations could be members of the same gang that wreaked havoc in Anambra State on Thursday, reportedly killing a member of the House pf Representatives and two aides of the Ebonyi State governor.

http://www.compassnews.net/news/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22868:robbers-bomb-bank-police-station-kill-dpo&catid=48:saturdaynews&Itemid=189

Two Killed as Robbers Invade Awka Banks

07.18.2009

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Two people, including a senior police officer were feared killed yesterday in Awka, Anambra State, when armed robbers invaded three banks along Zik’s Avenue in the Morning, shooting sporadically to scare away people. 
The invasion led to confusion in the state capital for most of yesterday
Other banks in the state capital had to hurriedly close shop to avoid being attacked. 
The popular Zik’s Avenue and the Eke Awka main market were devoid of their heavy human traffic as people stayed indoors. 
 Emeka Chukwuemeka, Anambra State Police Public Relations Officer said police swiftly responded to the situation and deployed APCs to flashpoints in Awka, Nnewi and Onitsha. 
The robbers had earlier on Thursday operated on major streets in Awka, killing six people.
Chukwuemeka confirmed that two police guards of some politicians were killed by robbers at Nnokwa during the Thursday operation. 
A member of the House of Representatives, Paulinus Igwe Nwagwu, was shot in that incident and rushed to a hospital in Enugu.

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