Tuesday, 4 March 2014

Church robbery: Slain policemen not on official duty – Commissioner

Church robbery: Slain policemen not on official duty – Commissioner
The  Commissioner of  Police in Oyo State, Mr Mohammed Indabawa, on Monday said  the two policemen killed during a robbery operation in  a church  on Sunday in Ibadan  were not on official duty.
A gang of robbers invaded Vine Branch Church on Queen Elizabeth Road, Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State on Sunday, killing two policemen.
It was gathered that the robbers attacked the church to snatch offering and tithe boxes.
The policemen were said to have escorted  some bank officials to pick up the church offering and tithes.
Indabawa, who spoke to  journalists  in  Ibadan,  described  the incident as unfortunate, but insisted that the  officers were  not on official assignment.
“We are, however, investigating what or who took them there,”  Indabawa  said.
Two policemen were shot  when armed robbers invaded the Vine Branch Church located on Queen Elizabeth Road in Ibadan.
The robbers reportedly struck soon after the offerings were collected, attacking the van brought in by bank officers and the two policemen shortly after the offerings were collected.
Although the robbers were unable to access the money, the  two policemen were shot dead  while  many  church members were injured.
Indabawa, however,  said that the police  would not condone any criminal act, adding  that they would  do everything to curtail crime  in the state, especially with the approaching  elections.
The police also paraded nine robbery suspects arrested between January and February  for different robbery cases.
Two of the paraded suspects confessed to hijacking a trailer  marked KRD 949 XB that was   conveying soya meal on the  Ibadan-Ife expressway on February 6.
The master-mind of the incident  confessed to reporters that he was owed  four months  salaries  by the company conveying the product.
“I planned the hijacking with my friends to get back at the company for not paying my salaries for four months and  laying me off.
“I am on N17, 500 per month and I intended selling off only the product. I have never stolen before now and I am,  therefore, asking to be forgiven,” he said.
Another suspect was  arrested with bullet wounds on his thigh.
He  stated that he sustained the wound  on January 13 at about 2.18 a.m while escaping after a  robbery operation at Idi Ori, Sasa, Ibadan.

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