The Police Command in Cross River, has killed five suspected armed robbery gang who engaged the police in a gun duel shortly after robbing a filling station at Atu Street in Calabar on Sunday.

Mr Hafiz Inuwa, the Commissioner of Police in the state, who briefed newsmen on the incident at the Atakpa Police Station, said the robbers invaded the filling station on Sunday morning.

“Some of these armed robbers are giving us problems in Calabar municipality.

”These set of robbers were caught up in a gun battle with the police shortly after they robbed a filling station in Atu area of Calabar South.

“They had a shoot-out with the police and our men were able to gun down five of them. These were the same gang that we already have their profile.

“We have been on the watch out for them because they were the same people that snatched two AK47 rifles from our men.

“This is a pointer to the fact that the police and other security agencies will not rest until the state is free from all forms if criminalities,” he said.

Inuwa said that people who decides to take up arms against law abiding citizens in the state would have themselves to blame because the police was out for “fire-for-fire”.

“Election is coming, the Calabar carnival is around the corner; we are not going to spare any criminal in the state.

“I am calling on parents to be on the watch out on their wards because taking arms against anybody will not be tolerated,” he warned.

Also speaking, the State Security Adviser to Gov. Ben Ayade of the state, Mr Ani Esin, who was also at the police station, told NAN that his office was working in collaboration with security agencies in order to reduce crime rate.

Esin said that the Ayade-led administration places premium on the security of residents and visitors in the state, adding that the state government in collaboration with security agencies would not relent in arresting anyone caught in illegality.

He added that all necessary infrastructure had been put in place to ensure that the Christmas period is celebrated peacefully in the state.

“We are trying to revamp all the security units across the state and to also empower the security agencies because we want to feel their presence at every corner especially now that we are having thousands of visitors in the state.

“I have visited majority of the security outfits and I can assure you that Christmas will be peaceful and beyond that, we hope that the entire state will be calm during the carnival and election period.”

NAN reports that the police also recovered some cash and three locally made pistols from the suspected armed robbers. (NAN)

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