By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
An unknown gunman believed to be a robber, on Monday, attacked a trader in Mile 1, Diobu, Port Harcourt and made away with the trader’s six million naira (N6,000 000.00), at gun point. The incident, which allegedly happened between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m., caused pandemonium in the area as people scampered for safety to avoid being shot by the gunman who was said to have shot the trader on two legs and further released a few more bullets to scare away people who could come after him, including the police.
It was gathered that a member of the Rumuwoji-Diobu Vigilante/Community Police who attempted to catch the armed robber were shot by the latter, who then ran towards the Education Bus Stop, entered a car and headed towards Iloabuchi.
A source revealed that the trader, who was robbed by the gunman, sells bags of rice and beans and has a chain of stores in Sangana Street and other places.
The source, who said he knows the trader, narrated: “The man sells rice and beans at Sangana Street but he has shops in other places too. I don’t know why the robber came to shoot him and collect his six million naira. When he collected the money, the man chased after him, shouting thief, thief and other people joined him. But the armed robber shot him on two legs. It’s like he didn’t want to kill the man; otherwise he would have shot him at the chest. As they chased the man, he ran and shot two other people who wanted to block him. He also didn’t want to kill them because he could have shot them at the chest. The police at the First Bank there could not do anything. They just watched the man as he was running away.”
An Hausa man, popularly called Mallam, who sells toiletries near the Mile 1 market, said he witnessed the whole incident. According to him, when the gunman collected the money (N6 million) from the trader,
the gunman started going towards Education Bus stop.
“I was in front of my shop here watching but as the man turned his gun to our side, I ran inside and when he passed, I came out again. He released two bullets in the air. One vigilante boy pursued him and he shot him at the leg. People were shouting thief, thief. Another man pursued him and he shot him again but he didn’t kill him. From there he entered motor and disappeared,” the Mallam said.
But the leader of the Rumuwoji-Diobu Vigilante/Community Police, Alalibo Gogo Abite, aka Mandela, said that one of his boys was shot at the buttocks by the gunman as he gallantly tried to catch him. As at 6:15 p.m. when Gogo Abite spoke with us, he said they were still at the hospital, struggling to see how they would raise money to pay for the young man’s surgery to remove the bullet in his buttocks. He appealed for assistance from the government and well meaning individuals to save the boy.
When we called the Police Public Relations Officer, Rivers State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, to confirm the incident, he refused to pick the call. However, investigation continues.
