A middle aged man whose identity could not be ascertained as at the time of filing this report, was killed in Ibadan when operatives of Oyo State Police command engaged a two-man armed robber gang in a gun duel . The incident occurred around 5pm at Adelaja junction, Mokola Ibadan on Friday.
The victim was said to be dressed in a white shirt and a blue Jean trouser. An eye witness said that the two armed robbers were on the run with a bag containing a huge amount of money believed to have been stolen when the police gave them a chase and shot into the air severally to stop them.
A source said the robbers must have collected the money from one of the “Bureau de change” merchants in Sabo area of Mokola while another source said the robbers snatched the money from a customer of one of the new generation banks in Mokola area of the state.
When newsmen visited the spot of the incident on Friday evening, residents gathered in groups to behold the lifeless body of the slain victim before the police took the corpse away.
An eye witness, Mr. Kabiru Adeoye, who spoke with newsmen, said the armed robbers were on a motorbike while the police were pursuing them with a white Hilux van. He said the police were shooting sporadically to scare the robbers when the victim was shot by the fleeing robbers.
“I was in my shop when I heard the sound of the gun shot. When I came out, I saw people running helter-skelter. I can’t really say who killed the man between the robbers and the police but people said it was the robbers,” he said.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations office (PPRO) Adekunle Ajisebutu, confirmed the incident, adding that the police recovered a motorcycle and a locally made pistol from the robbers. He said the police had intensified investigation to arrest the fleeing robbers.