The police in Akwa Ibom State on Wednesday shot a resident for allegedly picking stolen money which dropped along Wellington Bassey Way, Uyo.
Our correspondent gathered that a three-man gang had snatched the money from occupants of a government-owned car .
The gang was reportedly moving the money into a getaway vehicle seized from a female motorist, when some of the cash fell on the road.
A witness, Mr. Joe Inyang, said, “The people who owned the money were in a Toyota Camry with a government number plate, AK 705 C01. They appeared to be coming from one of the new generation banks, where they withdrew the huge amount.
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“As their driver was going through Paul Bassey Street, he noticed the robbers, who were in a Toyota Corolla. They were on his trail.
“As he tried to link Brooks Street, he rammed the vehicle into an oncoming Toyota Camry. It was then that the robbers blocked access to the government car.
“At that point, the robbers seized the vehicle and started shooting continously into the air. They shattered the boot and doors of the car with bullets to get access to the money, which was in Ghana-Must-Go bags.
“It was in the process of moving the money into another vehicle they seized from a woman that some residents scrambled for the fallen cash. The man the police shot rushed out of his office to pick the cash which littered the road.”
The woman whose car was used as a getaway by the robbers; the man who sustained gunshot injuries; and the driver and other occupants of the government vehicle, were seen by our correspondent at the ‘A Division’ of the state police command on Wednesday.
A resident, who did not want his name in print, told PUNCH Metro that the robbery could not have occurred without the involvement of people in government or the bank, adding that the money could not be less than N50m.
The Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Mu’azu Zubairu, did not answer calls that were put across to his telephone. He did not also respond to a text message sent to his line.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Chukwu Ikechukwu, when contacted, said he was not in the state.
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