The Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Lagos State Police Command has killed four suspected robbers and arrested two after a bloody clash in the Ikeja area of the state.
The bandits were said to have encountered the SARS operatives while on their way to carry out a robbery operation around Ikeja at about 2am on Wednesday.
Recovered from them were four AK47 rifles, loaded with magazines, two locally made pistols with six expended and 19 live cartridges.
Their unregistered operational bus, painted in Lagos State commercial colour, was also recovered.
One of the guns recovered from the robbers belonged to the Nigeria Police Force.
The four guns were discovered in the operational bus of the bandits.
A police source said: “We received information that some deadly armed robbers, operating in a Volkswagen Faragon bus, were planning to operate around Airport Hotel, Ikeja.
“The Officer in Charge of SARS, Mr. Abba Kyarri, sent two decoys.
“On approaching the suspects at Johnson Street, off Awolowo Road, Ikeja, the suspects sighted the policemen and opened fire.
“The SARS men equally replied the gunshots, killing four of the robbers.”
After smoke cleared from smoking guns, it was discovered that one of the robbers had escaped.
But the policemen took another of the bandit, Saheed Mohammed, alive.
Mohammed was later used as bait to catch the fleeing robber.
The source added: “When we discovered that one of the robbers had escaped, we told Mohammed to call him.
“We were made to understand that they came all the way from Obalende and did not know Ikeja Airport Hotel area very well.
“Mohammed called his partner and told him that he too escaped.
“He asked the man to come and meet him at a particular place.
“Following Mohammed’s description, the fleeing robber located him and walked into the waiting arms of the police.”
It was also gathered that Mohammed was arrested because he was fatally wounded during the gun battle with the police.