Bassey Inyang in Calabar
The Cross River State Police Command announced Monday night that its men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) shot and killed five suspected armed robbers during a shootout in the state capital, Calabar.
The command’s Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, who confirmed the incident said the robbers were killed during a shootout with the police along barracks road in the town.
“Yes five were gunned down after a gun battle and a chase from SARS at Barracks Road. They had robbed around that axis when our men were alerted and chased them. There was a shootout and five of them were gunned down,†Ugbo stated.
Ugbo stated that some amount of money, weapons and other items believed to have been stolen were recovered from the suspected armed robbers.
Several sources who gave eyewitness accounts, said the suspected armed robbers had conducted their operations along IBB Way where they robbed some people, but as they made their way to escape, they were given a hot chase by the SARS squad, who had been alerted by members of the public.
The sources said the SARS team gave them hot pursuit, and intercepted them along Barracks Road where a gun battle ensures between the police team and the armed robbers.
It was gathered that the fire power of the police proved superior as the suspected armed robbers were shot and killed.
The sources who said the incident occurred in the late hours of yesterday evening, disclosed that after the police had succeeded in killing the suspected armed robbers, an angry mob set ablaze the car suspected to have been used by the men of the underworld for their operations before they met their waterloo.
