Security operatives have shot and killed a member of an armed robbery gang that was trying to target unsuspecting individuals on their way to church.

It was gathered that the incident happened on Sunday morning around 6 a.m. as some residents of Ifite in Awka were heading for Sunday Mass.

One of the victims (name withheld), who works at a popular joint in Awka, was robbed of her phone and other items. She said the gang members were three, but only one of them was gunned down.

She said, “I was coming back from work, and another girl who was going to church just came out of their lodge gate when the three men approached us and started asking what we had in our bags.

“The girl who was going to church saw them and flung her bag into the bush. They searched my bag, saw my phone and money, and took them. Then the other girl started running into her lodge, while I ran towards the bush.”

She explained that while one of the robbers pursued her, the other two chased after the girl going to church. As she hid in the bush, one of the robbers came toward her location, apparently trying to find her.

During this chaos, a local security guard emerged and shot at the robber, killing him, while the other two fled.

Daily Post reports that the corpse of the robber was still lying in the area at the time of filing this report.