Photo caption: The exhibits. Photo: Police
Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command have killed a suspected armed robber operating from a refuse dump in the Abule Egba area of the state.
A police source told PUNCH Metro on Thursday that the suspect, identified simply as Blessing, was gunned down in the early hours of the day.
According to the source, detectives stormed the refuse dump in the Kantagua area of the community at about 1:30 am.
However, on sighting the operatives, Blessing was said to have opened fire, thereby forcing the police to respond.
“The operation was carried out at about 1:30pm after the police got intel about the location. There was a gun duel that ensued, and the suspect sustained bullet wounds in the process. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was confirmed dead by the doctor on duty,” the source added.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.
According to him, the operation was carried out based on the confession of a notorious robbery suspect, Yakubu Adeyemi, 43, who was earlier arrested.
He said, “Operatives of the Lagos State Police Command stormed the Katangua refuse dump in Abule Egba to arrest other gang members and possibly recover their operational weapons.
“On sighting the police, the suspected armed robber by name Blessing ‘m’ opened fire on the operatives, and the operatives responded gallantly. During the exchange of gunfire, Blessing sustained bullet wounds, and he was rushed to Oke Odo General Hospital for medical attention, where the medical doctor on duty certified him dead.”
Hundeyin added that one AK-47 rifle with five rounds of ammunition in its breech, a locally-made single-barrelled pistol, and four live cartridges were recovered from the scene.
He further disclosed that the corpse had been deposited at the Mainland Hospital mortuary for autopsy while efforts were ongoing to track down other fleeing gang members.
