Gunmen attack bullion van in Lagos

Two persons including a motorcyclist were feared killed on Thursday after gunmen attacked a bullion van in Lagos.

The incident occurred along Addo Road in Ajah, Eti-Osa East Local Council Development Area (LCDA).

It was gathered that the gunmen who rode in a Sienna vehicle, opened fire on the bullion van around 3pm.

Video footages of the incident showed the van riddled with bullets with its tyres deflated.

Also seen was the body of a man identified as a motorcyclist whose bike stood nearby, while the other person’s blood was said to have stained the ground.

Witnesses, who recorded videos as the robbery was ongoing, said the gunmen shot the carriage open and carted away the cash inside.

It was gathered that the armed robbers started firing at the van from a distance but the driver refused to stop until he got to the front of a supermarket.

Some claimed that the gunmen fled through the lagoon after taking the cash.

A source who claimed to have witnessed the incident wrote: “I witnessed a broad daylight robbery 10 minutes ago. A black bullion van was attacked. All the tyres of the van were shot at but the driver did not stop.

“Gunmen in Sienna and carrying AK47 were shooting. Commuters using that route should be cautious.”

Lamenting incessant robberies in the area, a resident said: “Shall we pretend we’re surprised at the recent spike in armed robberies in Lagos? At least, there have been four robberies on the Lekki-Ajah axis in the past one week alone. Today’s event happened around 3pm in broad daylight. Some people have abandoned their duty post.”

Another resident, Nse Ikpe lamented that Addo Road had become a war zone with sounds of gunshots heard every night.

The Nation reports that the Area N Command and Ajah Police Division were among those attacked and armouries looted by hoodlums during the violence that followed the ENDSARS protests in the state.

Although Addo Road and Badore areas of Ajah have been notorious for cult-related violence in the last two years, residents said there has been a spike in violence crimes since the attack on the police stations.

The bank whose money was being transported when the attack took place could not be ascertained.

Contacted, the Commissioner of Police (CP) Hakeem Odumosu said the information from the incident was still sketchy.

He said: “I am yet to get detailed information from the Area Commander but so far, we have not received any report on death.”