Armed robbers who operate within the Tema municipality have threatened to kill the Tema Regional police commander, Mrs. Agnes Sika-Nartey within three weeks. The threat, which was contained in a letter signed by one Abdulai, was made available to the press in Tema at the weekend.

The letter stated that the armed robbers were getting themselves organized to face the regional commanders men, despite the havoc the police have caused them. It stated that the robbers had had four successful operations but two of their boys failed them by getting hit by the police. The juju of your men really work, else they would have also been dead, just like our members, the letter stated, adding that the wounds some of them sustained during their operations were also being treated.

Meanwhile, the Tema Police shot and killed two armed robbers during a gun battle at the Community Seven Shell Filling Station, near the Tema Technical Institute, while two others managed to escape with their weapons.

The four armed robbers attacked the filling station at dawn on Thursday, April 29, 2004, took the workers hostage and robbed the station of ?13,950,000.00. The amount was however later retrieved from the dead robbers who were later identified as Johnson and Victor Dibia. Chief Supt Daniel Lartey Odai, the deputy Tema Regional Police Commander, said about 3:40am on Thursday, the police patrol teams were informed that a group of armed robbers had attacked the Community Seven Shell Filling station and had taken the workers hostage. He said the patrol teams moved immediately to the scene and saw the robbers who were wearing masks. Two of them who had aK47 rifles, had taken positions outside the shell shop, providing cover for the others in the shop, he noted.

On seeing the patrol team made of four soldiers and six policemen, he said, the armed robbers opened fire and the patrol team returned the fire, during which the two of the robbers fell dead.

Chief Supt Odai said the bodies of the robbers have been deposited at the Korle-Bu Mortuary and expressed the belief that one of the two who escaped sustained gun shot wounds.