Alaba traders set MOPOL ablaze

LUKKEY ABAWURU and VINCENT ADEKOYE, Benin

A mobile policeman who allegedly shot a technician at Alaba International Market, Ojo, Lagos to death was yesterday set ablaze by irate traders at the market.

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In Benin, Edo state capital, three policemen attached to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the state police command were killed in a gun duel with a 10-man robbery gang. The robbers had made attempt to snatch a bullion van conveying large sum of money belonging to a new generation bank.

Another five policemen were injured in the encounter, which took place in Ugoneki, in the state capital.

In Alaba, the killing of the mobile policeman which took place at the early hours of yesterday, resulted to a pandemonium and brought business activities to a standstill at the multi-billion naira electronics/electrical market.

Several shops were under lock and key as traders fled apparently to avoid arrest by policemen.

Saturday Champion gathered that a mobile policeman in mufti purportedly shot and killed a technician at about 9 a.m, yesterday, over an undisclosed issue.

Eyewitness who pleaded anonymity told our reporter that members of a task force controlling traffic, near the Obosi plaza, beside Alaba-Rago junction at the market, arrested the policeman for questioning as well as to ascertain why he killed the civilian.

According to him, angry traders pelted the policeman with stones and broken bottles before he collapsed and died.

He said the tragedy frightened the task force members, who quickly ran for their safety, paving the way for the burning of the policeman.

Following the incident, he said policemen from Ojo police division stormed the place, apparently to maintain peace and shot sporadically to frighten people.

"Immediately we heard several volley of gunshots, people began to run helter skelter to save their heads; shops and stalls were closed as people ran out of the market."

He said the deceased technician drove into the market in his Mercedes Benz to effect repair on his television before the incident which allegedly led to the closure of the market.

But Lagos state government has decried the incident. Commissioner for Information and Strategy Opeyemi Bamidele who confirmed the incident to Saturday Champion yesterday on telephone, however, denied any formal closure of the market by the state government. He said rather the traders on their own, abandoned their shops shortly after the incident on hearing that some mobile policemen had gone to their base for reinforcement after the murder of their colleague.

"I can tell you that the market for now has not been closed by the state government or any other authority. The traders on their own abandoned the place, an action that of course paralysed activities in the place," he said.

But chairman, electrical section of the market, Chief Emeka Dike said there was no cause for alarm.

According to him, normalcy has returned to the market as at press time. "You can see I’m in the market granting interview to journalists, the market is not closed. I am aware that a technician was killed but I do not know who killed him."

Reacting, deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Olumide Jimoh said "I have heard of the incident but I’m not aware that the MOPOL was set ablaze." Timothy, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) said the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Mohammed Abubakar, has deployed the area commander, Mr. Ishaq Habila, to the place for on the spot assessment.

He said the police were investigating the matter.

At Ugoneki, Benin, three senior officers of the SARS were shot dead while five sustained serious injuries when armed robbers attacked a bullion van conveying N125 million from the branch of Zenith Bank in Nkpor, Anambra state, to the branch of the bank in Benin City.

A source at the command told Saturday Champion that the battle lasted for almost 45 minutes.

But the police officers were able to foil the robbery attempt with the entire N125million intact. It was gathered that the robbers had trailed the bullion van in two vehicles, Audi and Toyota Corolla cars from Anambra state to Ugoneki where they struck, escaped with some of their dead colleagues in the Audi car, while they abandoned the Toyota Corolla car.

Confirming the incident to a visibly angry Edo state police commissioner, Mr Chris Dega, who briefed newsmen yesterday in Benin City, said "We received a call from an official of Zenith Bank intimating me that armed robbers intercepted their van conveying money from their branch in Nkpor to Benin City around Ugoneki area. I quickly informed my people and we dispatched SARS immediately to the area.

"I am happy to announce that at the end of the day, we were able to recover the van with the whole money that was robbed, intact. The money was eventually counted by the officials of the bank and the N125million was complete. But on a sad note, we lost three mobile policemen in the encounter. The mobile policemen were those escorting the money from Nkpor to Benin.

"Also, some of the mobile policemen sustained injuries and they are presently receiving treatment in the hospital. Though robbers also had their casualties, but they escaped with them in one of the vehicles. They were well armed with sophisticated weapons. They have large numbers of magazines fully loaded. We recovered some of them fully loaded with rounds of ammunition," he stated.

"We learnt that the robbers numbering over 10 were forced to abandon one of the vehicles and escaped with one. We urge members of the public to be alert and report any case of bullet wounds in the hospitals. Because the gun duel was quite serious and we are aware that some of them escaped with gun shot injuries, it is quite sad that we lost three of our men but the operation was very successful".