Police kill five robbery suspects in P’Harcourt, Oyo

Police in Rivers State said on Monday in Port Harcourt they had killed three members of a notorious robbery and kidnap gang in Abia State.

Also, police in Oyo State on Sunday engaged a suspected robbery gang in a gunfight, arresting two of them who later died from injuries they sustained during the clash.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs. Olabisi Clet-Ilobanafor, said three guns, eight live catridges and two expended catridges were recovered from the suspects.

Olabisi said the suspects were notorious car robbers, who usually trailed unsuspecting members of the public on motorcycles before dispossessing them oftheir vehicles.

Security operatives had on December 12, 2010, killed the leader of the Abia gang known as Osisikanwu during a gun duel in a forest.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Rivers State, Mr. Ben Ugwuegbulam, identified one of the the members of the gang as Nzeribe, a former second-in-command to Osisikankwu, Samuel and Chima.

Ugwuegbulam said the suspects were responsible for the murder of Amb. Ignatius Ajuru and his escort personnel.

According to him, the hoodlums were arrested while trying to kidnap a man in Aluu in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
Explaining that the bandits’ operational vehicle; a red Honda CRV jeep with Registration Number: Bayelsa AR 845 KMK,was also recovered, Ugwuegbulam said thesuspects were shot in their attempt to escape.

He added that the hoodlums were shot and killed on Friday, the state police spokesman added that Nzeribe, Chima and Samuel were responsible for the murder of a former top civil servant in the state, Mr. Hycinth Nwangolo and a traditional ruler in Etche, His Royal Highness, Ben Nwaogu.

He explained that the bandits were also responsible for the kidnap of five femalecorps members in Eberi Omuma, 120-year-old Pa Nwosu, Honourable Kelechiin Eberi Omuma and numerous bullion vanattacks and bank robberies along Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway.