Tema, Nov 10, GNA -- Gabriel Onyekachi Igwe, a 47-year-old suspected Nigerian armed robber, was shot dead at dawn on Monday, when he together with others, attempted breaking into a gas filling station in Tema. Igwe was killed while his accomplices escaped after engaging a private security man in a shootout at the gas filling station, located near the Kpone barrier on the main Tema-Aflao road.

Briefing the Press on Monday, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Augustine Gyening, Tema Regional Police Commander, said Police had a distress call at about 0315 hours that some armed robbers were trying to break into one of the strong rooms of the station. ACP Gyening stated that when Police arrived at the scene, the security man had already engaged the armed robbers, in the shoot-out, killing the deceased.

The Commander indicated that a search on the corpse revealed his Nigerian passport, while some items including two pinch bars, screw drivers, cutters, hammers and lighters, were also retrieved from the crime scene. He appealed to the public and hotel operators to volunteer information on Igwe to enable the Police to arrest his accomplices.

In another development, the Command also arrested three suspected armed robbers in a taxi at dawn on Saturday at about 0100 hours at the Tema Community 11 Junction. Two other accomplices, however, managed to escape. Upon a search, a locally manufactured gun and a hood, believed to be used to cover the face during robbery, were retrieved from the taxi. ACP Gyening stated that a 32-year-old spare driver, Emmanuel Dadzie, Isaac Offei, 24, a driver's mate and Nathaniel Apodae, a 28-year-old timber loader, were arrested during a snap check by the Police Patrol Team. Police had also arrested 29-year-old Ebenezer Essien who claimed ownership of the robbery car.