Two mobile policemen, attached to Mobile Police Force, Squadron 49, Lion Building, Lagos Island, Lagos State, were almost macheted to death by armed robbers who found them sleeping on duty at the Victoria Island area of the state.
The robbers, who were armed with only cutlasses, woke the sleeping mobile policemen on guard at the home they went to rob.
They collected from the policemen two AK47 rifles and inflicted severe machete cuts on them.
The policemen were abandoned in a pool of their blood.
Rescuers took them to the hospital where they spent weeks and have since discharged.
Explaining how their rifles were ‘snatched,’ the two policemen told the police hierarchy that they engaged the gunmen in a gun duel, which lasted for hours.
According to their well scripted story, they held unto the battle until they ran out of ammunition.
A police source said: “The two policemen said that it was after they ran out of ammunition that the robbers overpowered them and took their rifles.
“It was after the arrest of the suspects, that the truth came out.
“The policemen, who were on guard, were actually sleeping on duty.”
The arrested suspects, who dealt with the policemen, were Bernard Bongy, Obinna Eyinma, Emeka Uche, Chukwuma Akubueze, David Joshua, Ifeanyi Okafor, Kichinto Ofone, Moses Ogbu and Aminu Bobbo.
The Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, said the suspected robbers attacked the home of Albert Omisore at Eletu Ogabi, Victoria Island.
It was after the robbery that police embarked on investigation.
Eyinma was first arrested and used as bait to catch others.
Omisore’s home was where the two policemen were guarding.
A police source explained: “The robbers didn’t know that the house was being guarded by mobile policemen.
“When they gained entry into the compound, they discovered the policemen were sleeping.
“One of the robbers shook them awake.
“They pinned them to the ground, while their two AK47 rifles were taken.
“After the robbers collected their rifles, they inflicted brutal machete cuts on them.
“When they were through with the robbery, they tied the two rifles and buried it in a swampy place, close to a canal at Ajah.
“When the mobile policemen were brought to SARS to explain how they lost two rifles to robbers, they claimed that they and the robbers had a gun duel, which led to them running out of ammunition.
“According to them, it was after their ammunition finished that the robbers overpowered, macheted and dispossessed them of their rifles.
“When the robbers were eventually tracked down and arrested, the rifles were recovered by policemen from the swampy lot they buried them.
“The recovered rifles gave the mobile policemen away.
“Each of the rifles still had 30 rounds of ammunition intact, proving that the guns were never fired.”