THEIR target was the armory of the Ikole Police Station where they had wanted to cart away ammunition, but they failed despite the fact that the police station was severely bombarded.

But the same cannot be said of a pastor who was shot dead by the suspected armed robbers who also shot a sergeant and a medical doctor, whose death, sources in the community said has created tension in the town.

According to the sources in the area, the cleric was said to have ran into the gang while in operation and had erroneously taken them to be policemen when they stopped his vehicle, and had approached them to let him move on with his journey when they shot him dead.

The sources also explained that the medical doctor was said to have been at the Ikole Area Command and Division to attend to a patient when the incident occurred. The hoodlums were said to have made unsuccessful attempts to raid the armoury in the police division but were said to have “leveled the building.”

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Alberto Adeyemi, confirmed the incident, saying it was an attempt by the suspected armed robbers to steal arms and ammunition from the police division.

Adeyemi said the suspects were believed to have come from the South-South axis of the country, adding that the command has launched a manhunt with the aim of bringing the suspects to book.