Delta police kill robber, arrest three kidnappers

IN its crusade against armed banditry, the Delta Sate Police Command has shot dead a suspected armed robber at Effurun, Delta State.

  Also, policemen attached to Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) arrested three suspected armed robbers and kidnappers in Warri.

  The command’s spokesperson, Mrs. Celestina Kalu explained in Asaba on Monday that on February 21, at about 11.23am, a police patrol team from Ebrumede Division, while on its beat along PTI Road, Effurun, heard a woman on a moving tricycle shouting that she was being attacked by hoodlums.

   Kalu said that the policemen promptly gave the hoodlums a hot chase and on sighting the policemen pursuing them by DSC Roundabout, Effurun, the hoodlums opened fire on the policemen and in the ensuing gun battle, one of the hoodlums was gunned down while the other two escaped.

   She said that the victim, one Vera Sylvanus, who was earlier wounded by the criminals, was rescued alive.

    While disclosing that efforts were on to track down the fleeing suspects, the Police Public Relations Officer said that items recovered from the hoodlums included one unregistered TVS tricycle, a Firman generating set, one cut-to-size single barrel gun and one live cartridge.

  The spokesperson said that the armed robbers and suspected kidnappers, Imogure, Rukevwe Solomon and Ubamu Cosman were arrested at PTI Junction in Warri.   

   Kalu said that the suspects had, on February 7, kidnapped Mr. Abumere Ebere and Eze Ezebor along Warri/Eku Expressway.

  She explained that the victims were held by the criminals for about four days before they were released after the payment of an undisclosed ransom.

  Kalu said the suspects, who were arrested on February 24, confessed to the crime and led detectives to their hideout at Okuetolor bush along Warri/Sapele Road.

  Items recovered from them included one cut-to-size double barrel gun, one single barrel cut to size gun and two live cartridges.

   She said that investigation was still in progress, giving assurance that the suspects would face the full wrath of the law.