ROBBERS KILLED POLICE CHIEF DESPITE HIS (AJESARA) NATIVE BULLET PROOF @ IKERE-EKITI

A gang of armed robbers attacked the Ikere-Ekiti divi­sional police station , killed two police officers and three other civilians, the robbers then proceeded to rob a new generation bank in Ikere Ekiti.

According to eyewitnesses, the robbers went straight into Mr. David Onu Itumah, 62, the Divisional Crime Officer’s (DCO) office as if they had planned to make him their target. “He didn’t fall to the robbers’ bullets. They shot him but that didn’t work on him. He didn’t have his rifle when they stormed his office, he ran into a corner of his office and locked himself in so that he could have enough time to prepare for them, but the robbers were too many for him, over five of them must have broken into his office to grab him. They lifted his feet off the ground and shot him. That was when the bullet penetrated into his body and finished him”, an eyewitness said.

The anonymous eyewitness said further that the deceased had just three months to retire from the police force having put in almost 35 years into the service.

“The man was ill-fated. He just had three months to retire from the police, it was after they finished him and succeeded in sending off every other officer that they went for the police armoury in the office and emptied it”, the eyewitness said.

Another, who also craved anonymity, spoke about the female police sergeant that was killed while she was making effort to scale the fence of the police command. He said: “The female police officer that was killed was popularly known as Iya Joel by everyone in this area. We know her as a very nice woman, very friendly and good to all.”

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Taiwo Lakanu has assured that he would hunt down and bring to justice the gunmen that attacked the police station and the bank that day.

Narrating the reports he got about the rob­bery incident, the CP’s spokesman, ASP Vic­tor Babayemi, said: “I can confirm that there was a simultaneous attack on the police sta­tion and the bank office by a group of armed robbers numbering between 35 and 40, ac­cording to eyewitnesses. It was a spontane­ous attack and our men responded and there was gun exchange, some of the robbers were fatally shot regrettably and unfortunately, we lost two of our men, a female sergeant and an officer whose identities we don’t want to disclose now because we haven’t formally informed their families.

“The two police personnel didn’t die im­mediately, they were rushed to the hospital but they died in the hospital. Also, a female corps member who was using the ATM in the bank was also shot dead. Our armoury was not attacked, it is intact.

“Although, the robbers later escaped into the bush, some of them were fatally shot and adequate personnel have been mobilized to be on their trail as we speak.”

The Sun