Upon all the terrorists act in the state which includes the Skolombo Boys attacking both ends of the City, as in schools including UNICAL and CRUTECH, business and shop owners, residents by collecting their valuables including mobile phones and the like bundles with the recent killings in the Calabar South; this is what the Commissioner of Police have to say.
The robbers also shot another policeman at the same hotel before making away with his gun to another part of the Calabar metropolis where they attacked a security operative at a bank, also snatching his weapon.
The armed bandits were said to have operated in the Cross River State capital from 9pm to 12 midnight and snatched seven cars before retreating to their hideout.
According to reports by CrossRiverWatch, an anonymous source said the armed robbers took time to dispossessed the hotel customers of their belongings for over one hour before the arrival of the police team whose leader was killed.
The source said that after leaving the hotel, the bandits went to the Nelson Mandela Street end of the Watt market in Calabar-South stabbed and dispossessed one security operative of his gun.
He said, “The robbers operated at the hotel for over one hour before the intervention of policemen from the Federal Housing Police Station. The police team were ambushed by the robbers some few metres to the gate of the hotel.
“They immediately opened fire on them and in the process killed the police inspector that led the team and shot another policeman who is in critical condition.
“They also collected their guns and headed towards Nelson Mandela in Calabar South where they stabbed one policeman at an old generation bank close to Conoil Filing Station. They also collected the gun of the injured policeman. As they were moving, they were snatching vehicles. I learnt they collected up to seven cars in the course of the operations that lasted from 9pm to 12 midnight.”
Robbers had also last Tuesday invaded one of the old generation banks along Mayne Avenue in Calabar South and killed one of the mobile policemen on duty and made away with his gun.
Sources at Tata Foods in Calabar also confirmed to CrossRiverWatch that their premises was raided by robbers for hours without the intervention of the police on Friday while staff at SPAR shop in Calabar also told our reporter that they have been robbed three times in the past two weeks and the police have not been able to help them.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. John Eluu, confirmed the robbery operations on Friday.
He said, “Yes, I am aware of the robbery operation at the hotel. The police are still investigating and will soon arrest the perpetrators.
“We are calling on members of the public to avail us with useful information at all times to help curb this ugly development,” Eluu said.
Does it mean that since the 3rd of June, the police has not made any progress on stopping this bandits/cultist as they are going about killing, stealing and destroying the image of the state? It’s quite unfortunate how things are going in this state and the country at large. Very soon, everyone will be moving with guns and other arms on the streets without the fear of anything.
God help Cross River State! God help Nigeria!