The Abbey Hostel in Ode Remo, where some students of the Gateway ICT Polytechnic Saapade reside, was thrown into pandemonium on Thursday morning following a gun battle between the operatives of the state police command and some suspected robbers.
During the gun duel, one of the robbers was shot dead by the police. The incident occurred around 1:30 am on Thursday when four suspected robbers stormed the area and started raiding the hostel.
According to a source in the area, students were dispossessed of their mobile phones and other electronic gadgets during the operation.
While the robbery was ongoing, one of the residents alerted the police about the operations in the area.
Upon sighting the policemen approaching the area, the suspected robbers started shooting at the anti-crime patrol team dispatched to the hostel to rescue the students from their assailants.
The police neutralized one of the four suspects in the gun duel, while the other three fled the scene with bullet wounds.
A bag containing five iPhones, one techno phone, a wristwatch, an iPod, and a power bank was recovered by the police.
Efforts are currently ongoing to apprehend other fleeing suspects, according to the state Police Public Relations Officer, Omolola Odutola.
The polytechnic and the student hostels in Sapaade have become hotbeds for robbers in recent times. In December 2023, a student identified simply as Segun was killed in a robbery incident in the area.
