Robbers kill 10 in bank raid - 8 in critical condition

Tunde Oyekola, Osogbo - 12.02.2008

NO fewer than 10 people, including a policeman, lost their lives while several others were injured in a bank robbery which occurred at an old generation bank in Ilesa, Osun State, on Monday.

The police, however, gave the figure of those who died in the robbery as five including a police sergeant, and added that eight others were injured in the incident which occurred at the Ereja Square, where the bank is located.

A trader at Ereja market square, who was at the scene of the incident, said he saw more than 12 bodies around the bank premises. Another witness said the robbers killed about 15 people.

Public Relations Officer of the Osun State Police Command, Mr Joshua Olayemi, said that the robbers arrived at the bank premises between 10.30 a.m. and 11.00 a.m. in three vehicles, a bus and two cars.

The robbers, who were armed with sophisticated weapons, were led into the bank by their leader who was dressed in a police officer’s uniform and fired sporadically to scare away people.

They gained entry into the bank and carted away some money. It was gathered that the robbers also attempted to rob another first generation bank located in the same vicinity but were unsuccessful.

The PPRO, who confirmed that five people were killed including a police sergeant, said that eight others were seriously injured. He also added that they were not contacted on time.

Olayemi said that the robbers went away with about N2 million. He blamed the robbery incident on the bank’s laxity, adding that the banks’ had refused to comply with police directive of linking their branches to the police control room which would have alerted the police to danger in the bank
He said that only three banks had so far complied with the directive of linking their branches with the police control room in the state.

The PPRO, who said that no arrest had been made on the incident, said that the police were working on some theories which included the direction of their movement, whether there was internal collaboration, involvement of uniformed operatives and sources of ammunition of the robbers.

Monday’s robbery was the 11th in the state the last five months.