Robbers attack CBN bullion vans, kill two policemen

Armed robbers yesterday attacked a bullion van belonging to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), at Hawan Kibo hills, near Riyom in Plateau State, killing two policemen attached to the van as escorts.

The bullion vans carrying money and their retinue of armed mobile policemen escorts had left Jos, the state capital in the early hours of yesterday enroute Lafia, in Nasarawa State. The incident was said to have occurred around 8:30a.m.

It was gathered that at Hawan Kibo, immediately after a military checkpoint, the armed robbers in military uniforms, emerged from a bush and attacked a patrol team belonging to the Plateau State security outfit, “Operation Rainbow”, killing a mobile policeman on the spot.

It was at this point that the CBN convoy ran into the armed robbers. The robbers engaged the escort in a shootout, leading to the death of the second mobile policeman, who was in the CBN convoy. The policeman was identified as Sgt. Anthony Jawa, from Mobile Police Squad (MOPOL) 8, Jos.

Spokesman of the Plateau State Police Command, Terna Tyopev, told newsmen in Jos that the robbers ambushed the van. He said three other policemen attached to the bullion van were injured.

“It was a clear case of ambush; they were attacked unexpectedly. Policemen escorting the bullion van repelled the attack, unfortunately we lost two of our men on the spot, while three other were badly injured,” he said.

The PPRO, however, stated that the robbers were not able to cart away money from the bullion van “because our men responded vigorously,” adding that the police have commenced investigation to arrest the gunmen.