It was pure pandemonium that was recorded yesterday, when it turned out that a teacher in a private nursery/primary school (names withheld) is a member of a four-man robbery gang that engaged men of the Uwanse Police Division, Calabar, the Cross River State capital, in a gun battle along Goldie-Mt Zion, Calabar South Local Government Area, following a distress call.

According to Vanguard, it was gathered the teacher was killed on the spot, one injured and the driver escaped, while two locally-made pistols, phones, laptops and cash were recovered from them.

It was also gathered that the gang went on rampage Monday evening, as they robbed a sport betting shop, a beer distributor as well as a micro-finance bank, all located in the same area.

An eyewitness, Mr. Ephraim Chigozie, told Vanguard that three of the boys entered their premises and at first he thought they wanted to drink, but that he suspected something was fishy because the three of them wore baseball caps.

His words: “Before I knew it, they held one of my boys. I did not know that the leader was pointing a pistol to his waist. When I walked towards my car, they ordered me back into the store and asked me to lie flat on the floor.

“After they had dispossessed us, they went into the micro-finance bank in the same premises.

“Unfortunately for them, the bank usually has serious activities because they gave loan to market women on Mondays. So when they entered the crowd was huge.

They ordered everyone to lie down, but the women started screaming and they had to leave immediately because some people alerted the Police.”

A source, who pleaded anonymity, said she knew the deceased suspect a long time ago, because he taught in her daughter’s school located in the area.

Her words: “I know the deceased suspect very well. He taught in different schools before coming to my daughter’s (names withheld) in this neighbourhood.

“I am surprised that he was a robber, because they told me he left the school few weeks ago because of salary issues.

“He is a graduate and I just don’t understand why he went into robbery. Just look at how he destroyed himself in the name of looking for fast money.

“They have been robbing the people here day and night, without fear but he has finally met his Waterloo.”

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, ASP Irene Ugbo, said: “Our men killed one of them during a gun battle because they opened fire.

“One was injured, while two others are still at large; investigation is ongoing. We also recovered cash, two locally-made pistols, laptops and phone. We will surely get to the root of the matter.”

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