The police guns down killers of Lagos hoye

Five of the gunmen who stormed the
04 Hotel in Ajah area of Lagos last
Sunday have been confirmed dead.
The robbers were killed in the early
hours of Sunday (yesterday) in a shoot-
out with the Special Anti Robbery
Squad Ikeja, Lagos.
Several gunmen had stormed the hotel
in a purported reprisal for the arrest of
a colleague by SARS operatives at the
same hotel. Seven persons including
the owner of the hotel, Olarenwaju
Subair, were killed in the attack.
Police sources who craved anonymity,
told PUNCH Metro that the robbers
who were moving in a convoy of an
Honda Odyssey and a Jeep on Sunday
(yesterday) for another operation, had
earlier attacked some policemen at
Ajah and later at Ajao Estate before
the shoot-out with SARS operatives.
A police source said, "The robbers
began their operation around 1am at
Ajah but just as they were moving out,
they encountered a team of policemen
on routine patrol. They opened fire on
them and in the ensuing exchange of
fire, one policeman was killed in the
process and another wounded.
"Immediately, the robbers aborted
their mission and drove drown to Ajao
Estate. They got to Ajao Estate at
about 2am and attacked a major dealer
in phones, ipads and other ICT
products.
"In the process, a police corporal,
attached to the Mobile Police Force
was killed. Valuables worth millions of
naira were carted away."
Having received a directive from the
Lagos Commissioner of Police, Mr.
Umar Manko, to apprehend the
robbers, SARS operatives led by their
leader, SP Abba Kyari, were said to
have laid ambush along the Mushin/
Ojuelegba areas while two more teams
went towards the island to block the
robbers escape.
Not long after, the robbers who
eventually drove through the Mushin/
Ojuelegba road, were said to have
opened fire on sighting the SARS
teams.
In an intense gunfight that reportedly
lasted 30 minutes, the robbers were
chased from Stadium in Surulere to Eko
Bridge.
The source said, "Some of the robbers
had been wounded in the car from the
gunfight but that didn't stop them
from driving. It wasn't until the driver
of one of their vehicles sustained a
gunshot injury to the neck that the
vehicles stopped at Eko Bridge.
"Some were already dead in the car.
Several more fled their vehicles and
jumped over the Eko Bridge into the
ocean below. But some of those who
jumped must have been wounded,
because there was blood on the rails of
the bridge."
It was learnt that items from Ajao
estate were recovered from the
vehicles of the robbers. Policemen
from the Area A command and the
Marine Police later combed the waters,
but did not find any corpse.
Manko confirmed the incident to
PUNCH Metro.
He said, "Five robbers were killed in
the exchange of gunfire with SARS
operatives. They had earlier attacked a
major phone dealer at Ajao Estate
before they were ambushed by SARS
operatives along the Mushin/
Ojuelegba areas."