Armed Robbers Kill Five Policemen In Delta..Snatch Bullion Van

Five policemen and eight civilians were yesterday shot dead by armed robbers that attacked a bullion van at Ubulu-Okiti,  along Benin-Onitsha Expressway.

The robbers, numbering about 20 and wielding AK45 riffles,  succeeded in carting away large sums of money after breaking into the save compartment of the bullion van.

The robbers who were dressed mostly  in red attire and  face cap  and  operated in a Siena  bus and a Prado jeep were said to have been  trailing  the bullion van  from Benin to Agbor before  intercepting the  bullion van at Ubulu-Okiti, in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State.

It was gathered that the trigger happy men who shot sporadically with their sophisticated weapons, killed five policemen  on the spot,  who were escorting the bullion van, while eight other civilians who were travelling along that direction  were also killed.

The robbery operation, according to an eyewitness account, lasted between  1:45p.m. 2p.m., as unsuspecting travellers and passersby were forced to scamper for safety for fear of been hit by stray bullet.
It was also gathered that several cars somersaulted while others ran into the bush in an attempt to escape from the rampaging robbers.

The Delta State Police Public Relations Officer , DSP Celestina  Kalu, while confirming the incident  to journalists, said the bullion van  conveyed money from  the bank in Agbor to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in Asaba when it was attacked  by the robbers.

Kalu  said some policemen on the escort team were wounded during a gun dwell with the robbers, adding that the robbers succeeded in carding away some money during the operation.
She said the police was on the trail of the flying robbers as investigation into the incident had since commenced.