THREE suspected armed robbers were on Monday shot dead by the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force during a shootout at the busy UTC Junction in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.
One of the hoodlums, who escaped being killed by a special intelligence team from the Inspector General of Police, said they had planned to attack a plane belonging to a popular airline in the country.
It was also learnt that the suspects were forced to stop by the traffic light as they queued behind other vehicles waiting for their turn to get the green light to move.
One of the suspects, according to the eyewitness, alighted from the car and opened fire on some policemen at the junction.
It was gathered that attempts made by the armed robbers to escape after noticing the superior fire power of the policemen proved futile as three of them were gunned down while the fourth sustained gunshot injuries. When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident, adding that the IGP Intelligence Team intercepted the armed robbers following a tip-off.
Omoni said, “On interrogation, the suspect said they were on a mission to attack an Arik plane.”
Identifying the injured suspect as Peter James, Omoni said the suspect confessed to being one of the members of a gang that killed a police corporal during the All Progressives Congress rally in Okrika in 2015.
“Today, November 28, 2016, the IGP Intelligence Response Team, working on credible intelligence, intercepted this gang of armed robbers, who were heading to Arik Airline.
“Then there was an exchange of fire at the end of which three of them were killed and one was arrested. The arrested suspect, who gave his name as Peter James, 30 year old, and a native of Bayelsa State, is currently helping us with our investigation,” Omoni said.