An armed robbery gang of four on Friday unleashed panic in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, after shooting repeatedly and dispossessing a victim of several millions of naira.
The attack happened along Muritala Muhammed Way, directly opposite the Vanguard Newspaper office.
Witnesses said the robbers, all masked, arrived in an ash-coloured Toyota Corolla with a worn number plate. One of them, who declined to be identified, said the gang seemed to have monitored their target before launching the assault.
He explained that the robbers riddled the victim’s grey Toyota Sienna, with registration number AA 693 GT, with bullets, bursting its two left tyres and forcing the driver to stop.
Three members of the gang reportedly stepped out of the Corolla, while the fourth stayed behind the wheel to ensure a quick escape.
The assailants were said to have fired repeatedly into the air, sending residents and passers-by fleeing in different directions. The bullets struck the Sienna driver in the arm and shattered both windscreens and parts of the vehicle.
“They packed the cartons full of money from the Toyota Sienna into their Corolla before speeding off,” a witness said.
Another resident expressed concern that no security personnel were present during or after the attack.
It was also learnt that Elder Stephen Oni, Kwara State correspondent for The New Telegraph, sustained injuries while attempting to escape the gunshots.
Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, were unsuccessful as calls to her line went unanswered.