Bassey Inyang in Calabar
Suspected armed robbers numbering about four on Tuesday night in Calabar, Cross River State, chopped off the hand of a young woman with machetes and robbed her of a cell-phone.
According to eye witness account, the incident occurred at about 8.00 pm when the robbers who were operating from house-to-house, suddenly moved into the street to continue their nefarious activities.
It was reported that as the robbers attacked passers-by of their cash, and valuables, especially cell phones they came across the ill-fated woman, and made to snatch her cell phone.
An eyewitness who said they were watching the encounter between the woman, whose identity could not be immediately established and the armed robbers, disclosed that the woman’s hand was cut with a machete when she struggled with the men of the underworld.
An eyewitness who gave his name as Mr. Akpan Umoh, said: “The incident happened at about 8pm. We saw when one of them drew out his cutlass and severed the woman’s left hand, which made her to become weak. She merely wanted to wriggle herself away from the bad boys who were stabbing innocent people and collecting their phones and money.â€
Umoh explained that after attacking the woman, and dispossessed her of her cell phone, the robbers moved down the streets, shot into the air severally, and escaped.
It was gathered that after the robbers fled, some people rushed to the woman and offered her help by using head scarves to tie the almost severed hands, before rushing her to the hospital.
The state Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Inuwa Mohammed, said due to the activities of some criminal elements in the society, the police command is paying special attention to the Calabar South, which is notorious for such crimes.
“Last month, across the state, we arrested 85 cultists, armed robbers and kidnappers who will soon face trial. We have a special team deployed to the notorious Calabar South, and I assure that we will return confidence to the people living there,†the commissioner said.
