POLICE GUN DOWN NOTORIOUS ARMED ROBBER, RABIU

By Felix Engsalige Nyaaba

Hundreds of residents in and around Accra Central  was on  last Friday evening  thronged  the premises of the Accra  Regional police Headquarters to catch a glimpse of  dead  bodies of the  two  notorious armed robbers, Rabiu, a.k.a  Rabba and one unidentified, killed in a shoot-out with police in an armed robbery incident at Ogbojo near Madina .

The two robbers were lying in supine and  police and the public where taking pictures , whom they all said deserved their dead for having killed about three police officers in separate armed robbery  in the city of Accra.

Rabiu ,  33,  the most  dangerous armed  robber, believed to possessed some spiritual powers for his operation had been  in the wanted list of the  police for years.

He received about five bullet wounds on his body, two on the stomach, one on the head and arms before his dead.

Rabiu and his accomplice, whose identity was yet to be known, died when the engaged the police who acted promptly upon a tip-off about their plans to attack a Nigeria National in his house at about 5:25pm at Ogbojo near Madina in Accra.

The third person, who was only identified as Rahmani managed to escape with bullets wounds on him and is suspected to have run to Ashaiman or to other slum areas in Accra.

Briefing the Media in  her office, at about 7:15 pm the Accra Regional  police Commander, Commissioner of Police  Madam Rose Bio-Atinga , with  her deputy,  DCOP Christian Yohonu,   and the Crime Officer, Chief Superintendent of Police, Emmanuel Adu-fati said at about 5:00pm, the police have a tip-off that armed robbers had planned to attack a Nigeria National house at Ogbojo near Madina.

She said, the Regional CID operation team acted promptly and laid ambush in the said house and within few minutes, three armed men on two motor bikes rode into the house and attacked the occupants.

Madam Bio-Atingai said, police also emerged and engaged the three armed robbers in a fearless shoot-out and in the process, two of the robbers sustained bullets and felt and the other known as Rahmani managed to escape with bullets wounds.

The Regional Commander said, Rabiu on the wanted list of the police for series of robbery in Accra for some years was identified, while the second dead robber is yet to be identified.

According to Madam Rose Atinga, the second dead robber whose identity was not known was the one behind the recent robbery incident at Tema UBA Bank, where a police officer was killed early this year.

The Accra Regional Police Commander further told the media that, Rabiu and his gang are  responsible for various robbery incidents that took place in some parts of Accra, including the Shopping Mall branch of the Ecobank, a Forex Bureau at Haatso, Anti’s Company Limited at Agboba and many other places last year.

One foreign made pistol with 10 rounds of ammunition and three mobile phones were retrieved from the bodies of the two dead armed robbers.

The two dead bodies where later conveyed to the Police Hospital Mortuary, while investigation continues to arrest the third armed robber who runs away with bullets wounds.

The Regional Commander has therefore assured the general public that they would continue to discharge their mandate of providing internal security without fear.

She also called on the general public to keep the police hot line and inform the security at any time they have clue of any move by criminals in their vicinities.