Dare-devil robbers, yesterday, desecrated a church as they shot two policemen dead at the Vine Branch Church, Queen Elizabeth Road, Ibadan, Oyo State, after their failed attempts to steal the church’s tithes and offering.

Policemen were also said to have fired some fatal shots at one of the robbers who was reportedly taken away by his gang members.

According to sources, the robbers, who were said to have mixed with the congregation, accosted a banker who is in charge of the collections, but the robbers miscalculated as nothing was found on him.

Infuriated, the robbers reportedly shot in the air, thereby causing commotion in the well attended church.

When they missed their target, the robbers, in annoyance, shot two police officers who were on guard in their van outside the church.

Of the three occupants of the police van, only the driver escaped the robbers’ bullets.

According to reports, the rampaging robbers tried to cover their tracks as they made attempts to destroy the monitoring gadgets.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Oyo State Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Olabisi Ilobanafor, said the command lost two of its officers in the attack.

•Text courtesy Vanguard. Photo shows Oyo State Police Commissioner, Muhammad A. Indabawa.