Robbers shoot cyclist, raid shop in Pegi

Armed robbers have shot and injured a commercial cyclist, identified as Yaro, and raided a shop popularly called Biggy Ventures in Pegi, Kuje Area Council of the FCT just a day after nine people kidnapped by gunmen in the area were released. A resident of the community, Musa Jonah, said the robbers came into the […]

Armed robbers have shot and injured a commercial cyclist, identified as Yaro, and raided a shop popularly called Biggy Ventures in Pegi, Kuje Area Council of the FCT just a day after nine people kidnapped by gunmen in the area were released.

A resident of the community, Musa Jonah, said the robbers came into the community and started shooting sporadically into the air at about 8:23 pm yesterday.

He said he was in his house some few metres away from the shop when he heard the sound of gunshots and he opened the window to discover people running for cover.

He said the cyclist was coming  to the shop, to buy engine oil when the robbers’ bullet caught him in the mouth.

“I was inside my house around 8:23 pm, which is not far from the spare parts shop, when a call came from one of the vigilantes that armed robbers were shooting and an Okada man was hit by bullets. So immediately I checked through the window to discover that people were running for their lives,” he said.

According to him, the shop owner and his sales boy narrowly escaped through the back door and the robbers entered the shop and made away with undisclosed sum of money.

He said the injured cyclist was taken to the chief of Pegi’s palace, where he ordered that the victim be taken to a primary healthcare centre at the community for treatment.

Jonah alleged that security men deployed to the community to checkmate rising kidnappings and killings only patrol during the day time and leave in the evening.

“It is unfortunate that despite the fact that residents of Pegi are under siege as a result of kidnappings and killings, the security men only patrol during the day time and leave in the evening. I believed that if they remain here 24 hours, such incident wouldn’t have happened,” he said.

The Chairman of Pegi Community Development Association (PECDA), Mr. Taiwo Adebirigbe, confirmed the robbery attack while speaking with our reporter via telephone.

He said the robbers attacked a popular  shop where petrol and engine oil are sold and made away with undisclosed sum of money, while a cyclist was hit by a stray bullet.

“Unfortunately, the cyclist was going to the shop to buy engine oil when the robbers bullet pierced through his mouth. He was taken to the hospital,” he said.

The spokesman of the FCT police command, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, did not pick calls put across to him for his comment on the incident.