Soldiers on patrol duty on Friday foiled the operations of a seven-man armed robbery gang, killing the gang leader while six escaped, and two others killed by stray bullets.

The leader of the gang had pointed a gun at the target, a female victim at Swali market, demanding she surrender cash and other valuables on her without knowing that an army patrol vehicle was near the scene.

A trader who witnessed the incident said that the army patrol team used a Toyota Siena vehicle from where they observed the robbery scene and shot the armed robber from behind.

According to the witness who simply gave her name as Grace, the armed robber shot in the air to scare the victim into submission before he was gunned down by the patrolling soldiers while other members of the robbery gang fled.

Grace said that the fleeing robbery gang members shot at the patrol team but their stray bullets hit and killed two people – a cart pusher and a nursing mother.

Reacting to the incident, Spokesman of the 16 Brigade of Nigerian Army Yenagoa, Major Jonah Danjuma, said that troops on patrol came under attack by the armed gang.

He said: “Troops of 16 Brigade Brigade Nigerian Army on routine patrol were attacked today at Swali market area in Yenagoa metropolis by gunmen, on the 22nd February 2019.

“The gunmen numbering about seven opened fire on our troops. One of the bandits attempted to snatch a riffle of one of the soldiers. In the process he was neutralised while others took to their heels. Efforts are on to track them.”

Danjuma said that that the criminals have been robbing people around Swali market for some time now until luck ran out of them when troops closed in on them while in the act and recovered arms and ammunition:

Danjuma listed its recovered from the gang include one locally made pistol, two locally made 9mm ammunition, one Itel mobile phone and the sum of N8,350.

The 16 Brigade Spokesman reassured the people of Bayelsa and environs of the safety of their lives and property and advised criminals in possession of arms to turn them in to security agencies or be ready to face the law.