Passersby were panicked as robbery suspects who shot operators of Point of Sale, PoS, allegedly fled the scene without collecting cash in Umuahia, Abia State capital.
The PoS operators came under attack from armed men who stormed their business areas in the state capital on Sunday in an attempt to rob them of their cash.
The first attack took place along Uzuakoli Road in the city, while the second incident happened on the opposite side of the town.
A commercial bus driver who claimed to have been driving past when the first incident happened along Uzuakoli Road said that the robbers arrived at the scene with a tricycle, shooting in the air to send people away before ordering the PoS dealers in sight to hand over their cash to them.
The robbers reportedly shot one of the PoS dealers who hesitated in handing out his cash before driving away, leaving residents and church worshippers terrified.
It is learnt that the armed men moved to the Azikiwe-Ikot Ekpene Road and FMC axis of the town to attack another PoS dealer.
Gunshots from the robbers, however, attracted the attention of officers of the Abia State Police Command, who mobilised to the scene, thereby causing the robbers to flee. It was not established if the robbers succeeded in stealing from their victims or not.
A report by ABN TV Umuahia, however, said that two of the PoS dealers were shot by the robbers and are now receiving treatment in a hospital in Umuahia.
Confirming the incident on Sunday evening, the spokesperson of the Abia State Police Command, ASP Maureen Chinaka, said: “Yes, there was such incident but the police did the needful and an investigation is ongoing.”
