There was
pandemonium in Owerri, Imo State, yesterday as daredevil armed robbers snatched
an unspecified amount after shooting their victim in front of Imo State
Government House.
The two
robbers, who were said to be in a Camry salon car, had trailed their
unsuspecting victim and his wife after they withdrew money from one of the
banks along Cathedral Road in the city.
It was learnt
that the two robbers, who caught up with their victim before the Okigwe
roundabout, directly opposite Government House, had shot sporadically into the
air to scare away people before ordering their victim to hand over the money,
and when he resisted they shot him three times, snatched the money and took off
through Okigwe Road.
One of the
eyewitnesses said: “I was at the newspaper stand across the road, just before
the Okigwe roundabout, around 11am, when I heard a gunshot and then two young
men in a Camry car blocked a man and his wife driving in another car.
“They asked
the man to hand over the money. The woman ran out of the car, but the man
refused to hand over the money to them. One of the robbers shot him three times
and collected the money from him. I don’t know if he died.”
The source
told Daily Sun that as soon as the robbers started shooting, policemen,
including men of the NSCDC at the roundabout opposite Government House, took to
their heels.
Another
witness recounted his experience: “I was four cars behind. When I heard
gunshots, it dawned on me that those in the Camry were robbers, because the way
they overtook me made me wonder where they were hurrying to. After snatching
the money, they were shooting into the air, which sent people running in
different directions, including the policemen at the Okigwe roundabout
junction.”
The Police
Public Relations Officer of the Imo State Police Command confirmed the incident
and disclosed that the victim was confirmed dead at the Federal Medical Centre,
Owerri.
0 Comments