One killed, three injured as robbers attack bullion van

One person was killed and three others injured after armed robbers attempted to highjack a bullion van at the Apapa area of Lagos State on Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses said that the deceased was a member of the gang of robbers, while the injured included a military man.
The bullion van was taking money to a bank.
The bandits, who were said to be six in number and using a power motorbike, immediately started shooting as soon as they sighted the van on Mobil Road, Apapa.
The Divisional Police Officer in charge of Apapa Police Station, Usman Ndababo, who heard the sporadic gunshots, mobilized his men and traced the scene of the sporadic shooting.
Policemen met the robbers who had already over powered the men in the van and their escort.
The robbers, on sighting the policemen, tried to scare the police away by firing at them but the policemen fired back. Another eyewitness said that the gun battle between the robbers and police turned the area into a war zone, with the battle lasting over 45 minutes.
When the smoke settled, one of the robbers was dead, another arrested, while three other bystanders, including a military personnel, were wounded.
An eyewitness, Joshua Amajuonu, said that it was like a war situation.
The eyewitness said: “I was on my way to the office when I started hearing gunshot and people running for their lives.
“As I looked at my back, I saw policemen shooting and I had to run for my life, abandoning my car.
“Where I was hiding, I later saw some policemen carrying some victims away.
“Whether they were dead or alive, I can’t say..”
According to the eyewitness, the bullion van was riddled with bullets.
Another eyewitness, who simply identified himself as Jindu, said it was pandemonium as many vehicle owners abandoned their vehicles and shop owners hurriedly closed down during the shootout.
The eyewitness said many people were injured as the incident happened while they were going for their different business transactions.
The eyewitness added: “I think many people were injured but I saw a man in Army camouflage and four others being carried away by policemen.”
A police officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said: “We shot dead one of the suspected robbers and arrested one.”
The officer said the police also recovered two Ak47 rifles loaded with 30 rounds each and one of the motorcycles the robbers used during the operation.