Barely a week after some stormed a hotel at the Ajah area of Lagos State, killing the hotel owner and injuring about five of the guests, the police have arrested the gang.
But this was not without a heavy casualty.
Seven people, including five members of the robbery gang, were early on Sunday killed during a protracted gun battle between the police and the gang.
The other two corpses were policemen stationed at a hotel around Ajao Estate.
This gang of armed robbers were said to have stormed the hotel at about 4am on Sunday.
The dead robbers had been identified to be members of the gang that killed the owner of 04 Hotel in Ajah, last Sunday, before setting the hotel on fire.
They also set several vehicles on fire that fateful night.
It was further gathered that trouble started for the robbers late on Saturday night, when the police received a distress call that they were operating around Ajao Estate.
The eight-man armed robbery gang had killed two policemen, who were on guard at an unnamed hotel in Ajao Estate along Airport Road.
The bandits stormed the hotel in three vehicles, including two SUVs and an Honda Odyssey space bus.
Detectives attached to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, led by their commander, SP Abba Kyari, were drafted to the scene.
Immediately the robbers saw the policemen, they bolted, forcing the policemen to chase after them.
The SARS men intercepted the robbers at Stadium Road, Surulere, before they later caught up with them again at the end of Eko Bridge, Lagos Island at about 4am, during which a gun duel ensued.
After the gun smoke from both parties cleared, five of the robbers were shot dead, while three others escaped with bullet wounds.
The Honda Odyssey space wagon bus, four automatic Pump Action Rifles, four Brownie pistols and a revolver pistol, were recovered by the police.
Efforts to get the reaction of the image maker in charge of the state police command, Ngozi Braide, were futile as calls to her mobile phones were not answered.
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