Residents and police officers in Misau, Bauchi State, are still pondering over how the invasion of a team of robbers in a movie-like manner left the town in tatters. Saliu Gbadamosi, who visited the town, reports on the extent of the attack.MONDAY, September 12, 2011 would have passed just like any other day for the people of Misau, a town of about 160 kilometres away from Bauchi, the state capital, which also serves as the headquarters of Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State, but for the terror witnessed, which to a certain extent jolted the people and the state, bringing deaths on its trails.Armed robbers invaded the town in commando-like fashion after disguising as cart pushers. It was gathered that the gunmen, numbering about 30, started shooting sporadically into the air with a view to scaring the people away and headed straight for the divisional police headquarters in the town, where they hurled four bombs at the station, before going to the branch of Mainstream Bank, formerly Afribank, which they robbed, carting away about N19.2 million from its strong room.At the end of the attack, four policemen and a 45-year-old businessman, Musa Baba, were killed in the town, while the robbers killed another policeman at Azare while escaping from the area after the operation. Another civilian was injured in the robbery operation and was said to be recuperating at an undisclosed hospital as of the time of filing this report.According to the state police commissioner, Mr Ikechukwu Ayo Aduba, 'despite the spirited resistance put up by the policemen attached to the station to repel the hoodlums, they were overwhelmed by the spontaneity of the attack and the superior firepower of the bandits who were armed with locally made bombs and General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGS).'The police boss informed that the robbers on arrival in the town parked their vehicles at a distance and trekked to the police station but no one was able to inform the police before they carried out the dastardly act, saying that, 'within this period, nobody deemed it necessary to alert the police station and at the end of the day, we lost Nigerian citizens and a cash sum of N19.2million carted away by the hoodlums.'He, however, said that insider collaboration could not be ruled out from the operation, considering the manner the robbers had a field day while the operation lasted, saying that from the on-the spot assessment he and his management team carried out, 'the issue of insider act is so glaring and cannot be ruled out. This is more so as the hoodlums constructively broke into the door leading to the emergency exit of the bank.'While the bank manager escaped, two of the bank staff with keys to the strong room were on the ground to hand over the said keys to the bandits with little or no threat.'The Nigerian Tribune, during a visit to the town a day after the operation, observed policemen trying to put in place tight security measures, parading the street with a top officer taking charge of the situation, while staff of the bank were seen trying to pick up the bit and pieces after the operation, though the doors of the bank were locked against customers. It was even gathered that officials from the headquarters of the bank in Lagos were on ground to assess the extent of the robbery.Giving the account of what happened that day, some residents who spoke with the Nigerian Tribune said the way the robbers operated sent shivers down their spines as they had their hearts in their mouths throughout the duration of the operation, calling on the government to improve on the security in the land so that people could have peace of mind to sleep with their two eyes closed.Sixty-year-old Ai'sha Ali, who operates a restaurant close to the robbed bank said she was preparing food when they suddenly heard gunshots repeatedly, adding that the 45-year-old Musa Baba, who was killed in the robbery, just finished eating at her place. She said that she had never witnessed such an occurrence in her life time.'I was preparing food here with some of my neighbours when we heard gun shots everywhere. We ran into our rooms and did not come out again until when we were sure that the robbers had left. Musa just finished eating food here before he was killed. In fact, it was unfortunate that it was the time he came out of the restaurant that these people came,' the woman told the Nigerian Tribune.Another eyewitness, Abdullahi Dankobe, who said he was a street sweeper, said he was at the AD Rufa'i Roundabout leading to the police station when he saw about 20 men shooting towards the bank, adding that, 'I saw them firing shots at Musa. The bullet hit him on the cheek and the shoulder and he fell down.'A shop owner near the scene of the robbery, Abdullahi Muhammed, on his part, said when he heard the gun shots, he initially thought it was an accidental discharge from the police but the reality of what was happening dawned on him when he saw people running helter-skelter.'I just came back from the market trying to arrange the goods I brought from the market in my shop when I heard gun shots which I initially thought were accidental discharge. But when I saw people running for dear life, I had no other option than to join in the race and I left my shop. It was about this time that they killed Musa,' Muhammed said.While speaking with the Nigerian Tribune at the family house of the deceased, Musa Baba, in the midst of sympathisers who thronged the house on condolence visit, his uncle, Isa Saidu, lamented the death of his nephew, describing him as a simple, easy going and gentle man.He said, 'I was at home when I heard gunshots like every other person in this place. It was later that we learnt that Musa was shot during the armed robbery operation. We rushed him to the Federal Medical Centre in Azare where he died at about 9.00p.m. He has since been buried. As Muslims, we accept his death in good fate. He was a complete gentleman, who was easy-going and a very simple person.'The twin attack was about the sixth time such would be witnessed in the state. The incessant attacks had prompted the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Hafiz Ringim, to order the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja , to take over investigation of the attacks with a view to carrying out full and thorough investigations.Meanwhile, the state commissioner of police believes that for the police to effectively perform their job in the society, the assistance of the people is highly needed, saying that security is everyone's business as it takes the concerted efforts of the public and the police force to police the community successfully.'The police force has no magic wand and to this extent we have enjoined members of the public to feed us with necessary information as regards the suspicious movement of people within their communi-ty,' Aduba stated.
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