Loading ...By Amos Igbebe
The merry making of guests and celebrants at a wedding ceremony in Sapele, Delta State, was, Thursday, shattered following a gun duel between officers of combined team of Federal and Delta Command of the State Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and mobile police officers attached to a wanted robbery kingpin in the area.
The gun duel followed information made available to the SARS operatives indicating that the wanted armed robbery kingpin was serving as a guest in a wedding ceremony, hence the SARS operatives mobilized their men to the ceremony to arrest the robbery suspect at the ceremony ground.
In a statement made available to journalists in Asaba, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Celestina Kalu, said on sighting the operatives and without inquiring into their mission, the robbery suspect, whom she did not name, ordered two armed men attached to him and dressed in mobile police uniform to open fire on the SARS operatives.
According to her, his action, which was aimed at evading arrest, led to exchange of gun fire between the two groups, a development which she said the robbery suspect and one of the men in police uniform were hit by the SARS’ superior fire power and eventually arrested.
In the statement, she said following the injuries resulting from the gunfire, they were taken to the hospital for treatment so as to prepare them for prosecution but the two gave up the ghost while on the way to the hospital.
The development sent shiver down the spine of the wedding guests and celebrants, sending many running for their dear lives and shattering the ceremony.
In a similar development, she said the Delta Police Command successfully rescued one Samuel Ofolue, whom three armed men were attempting to force into a waiting car in Okpanam area, a suburb of Asaba, the Delta State capital.
According to her, as the incidence was ongoing, a patrol team was quickly mobilized to the scene and the hoodlums sighting the team shot sporadically into the air and escaped.
She said the victim was rescued with injuries on his head and left hand and was taken to the hospital for treatment.
She further said three armed shells of AK47 ammunitions were recovered from the scene while a manhunt for the hoodlums is in progress.
