Robbers chop off woman’s hand to steal phone

Four suspected robbers have chopped off the hand of a young woman while robbing her and others of their handsets, money and other valuables in Calabar.

The woman allegedly struggled with the hoodlums when they accosted her on Tuesday night on the popular Ambo Street in the city centre.

Witnesses, who watched the attack from a safe distance, said one of the robbers used a machete to hack the woman’s hand and beat her mercilessly.

“The incident happened at about 8pm. We saw when one of them drew out his cutlass and severed the woman’s left hand, which made her to become weak. She merely wanted to wriggle herself away from the bad boys who were stabbing innocent people and collecting their phones and money,” a witness, Akpan Umoh, said.

Umoh said when the robbers left, people used head scarves to tie the injured woman’s hand in a bid to stop the gushing blood before taking her to hospital.

The witnesses said as the gang moved down the street they kept shooting sporadically causing a stampede.

The Commissioner of Police, Hafiz Inuwa Mohammed, said the police have decided to pay special attention to Calabar South due to assorted crimes.

“Last month, across the state, we arrested 85 cultists, armed robbers and kidnappers who will soon face trial. We have a special team deployed to the notorious Calabar South, and I assure that we will return confidence to the people living there,” he said.