Police, Pregnant woman Die in Bayelsa Gun Battle

A pregnant woman and a police officer were on Wednesday confirmed dead in a gun battle between the police and armed robbers in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.

It was gathered that the woman was hit by a stray bullet during the gun battle that lasted for over two hours. But the police officer was said to have fallen from a patrol van and died while chasing the robbers.

It was learnt that the robbers stormed the Amarata branch of the United Bank for Africa about 1pm. They were said to have gained entrance into the banking hall, dispossessing customers and bank workers of their valuables including money. The bandits numbering about three were said to have arrived the bank on a Toyota Carina car. Efforts by the robbers to break the vault were frustrated by the arrival of operatives of the newly established special police outfit codenamed Operation Doo-Akpo. An employee of the bank was said to have contacted the police outfit who arrived the area and engaged the robbers in a shootout.The shootout, however, caused panic in the area as people scampered to safety with some of the drivers abandoning their vehicles on the road. The woman, who was hit by the bullet was said to have died when the police were trying to rush her to the Government House Clinic.