Asaba, the Delta State capital and particularly the Koka/Ibusa Road Junction on the Benin-Asaba expressway, was on Friday thrown into pandemonium as mid-day armed robbery attack on a bullion van took place practically unchallenged.
The bandits according to eye witness account laid ambush on the vehicle conveying undisclosed amount of money from Onitsha in neighbouring Abambra State to an undisclosed location.
The robbers were said to have intercepted the vehicle when the driver was negotiating the turnoff on Ibusa Road, which ironically is often manned by hordes of policemen.
There was sporadic shooting between the hoodlums and the police escorting the vehicle with scared motorists, commuters, traders and others scampering for safety.
Although, no life was lost in the incident, the hoodlums reportedly succeeded in making away with the cash after ripping open the bullion van with bullets.
The police escorts were said to have taken to their heels following fierce shooting by the bandits, who overwhelmed the cops with superior firepower.
“It was like a scene in one of those foreign movies where the actors engage in gun battle. The hoodlums came in with about three cars and intercepted the bullion van at the junction. They started shooting and innocent people took to their heels to avoid being victims of stray bullets,” a source said.
Even vehicles on the expressway had to quickly detour as a result of the attack with nobody to challenge the daredevil gang, eyewitnesses said.