… As Police confirm 2 officers death in Osun bank robbery***

The Police Command in Niger has confirmed the killing of three people by gunmen who attacked the palace of the Emir of Kagara in Rafi Local Government Area of the state.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Monday Kuryas, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with the newsmen in Minna on Wednesday.

Kuryas said the incident occurred at about 5.30 p.m.on Tuesday and that over 100 attackers who came with dangerous weapons were able to gain entry into the Emir’s palace and the divisional police headquarters in the area.

He said a policeman and two civilians were gunned down by the bandits during the incident.

Similarly, he said, some gunmen also attacked  Kachiwe village in Sarkin Pawa headquarters of Munya Local Government Area of the state.

He said the bandits sneaked from their hideout in Kaduna State to execute the heinous act.

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” I don’t have the actual number of people killed during the attack,” he said.

The commissioner, however, said that the command was not resting on its oars in an effort to rid the state of crime and criminality and appealed to residents of the state to provide timely information to security agencies.

He said investigation into the matter had commenced to enable them to track down the perpetrators of the criminal act.

According to him, a team of policemen have been despatched to the area to safeguard lives and property of people of Sarkin Pawa.

In another development,  police in Osun have confirmed the death of two Inspectors who tried to thwart a bank robbery on Tuesday in Iragbiji, Boripe Local Government Area of the state.

SP Yemisi Opalola, the spokesperson for the police in the state confirmed this in a statement on Wednesday in Osogbo.

Opalola gave the name of the two deceased officers as Ogunbiyi Ahmed and Odeyemi Ayinla.

She recalled that the armed robbers, numbering 20 came in a commando-like style at about 2.55 p.m. in four vehicles and attacked the Iragbiji Divisional Police Headquarters and Wema Bank, in the town.

Opalola said, “The robbers invaded the Police Divisional Headquarters and Wema Bank with sporadic shooting and launching of explosive devices in an attempt to disorganise, incapacitate and destabilise the police, who are in a fierce gun battle with them while robbing the bank.

“As a result, some parts of Divisional Police Headquarters were damaged. The robbers also shot at an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) tyres with explosive devices.

“The robbers in a bid to gain entry into the bank blew off its security door with dynamite, ATM was also destroyed, but an attempt to break into the bank strong room was foiled.

“It is unfortunate that in the course of the incident and during the pursuit of the fleeing bandits,  two police Inspectors, namely Insp. Ogunbiyi Ahmed and Insp. Odeyemi Ayinla were shot dead,’’ she said.

The police spokesperson said that during the fierce gun duel, the robbers fled, abandoning their unexploded dynamites and two vehicles.

She appealed to the people of the state to report to the police any person or persons with suspected gunshot wounds.