Armed Robbers attacked two banks in Edo state leaving many dead and scores injured in a bid to cart away millions of naira.
Dare-devil armed robbers who attacked two banks left no fewer than six persons, including a motorcyclist and two bank customers dead in a bank robbery at Igarra, in the Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State.
The thieves stormed the area in two Sienna minibuses at about 6pm on Tuesday, where some of them reportedly attacked and killed two policemen in the area. The others were said to have raided a Keystone Bank branch on Momodu Ajayi Road, destroyed the security door with explosives and carted away an undisclosed sum of money.
The robbers who unsuccessfully tried to rob Unity Bank located opposite Keystone Bank but were not able to enter got a shocker when vigilantes mobilised and barricaded their exit route, along Ekpedo-Ekpe Road which borders Kogi State. The vigilantes confronted the robbers and killed one in the process. One of the vehicles said to have been used by the robbers was also seized by the local security groups.
A leader of a vigilante group in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that many of the robbers escaped with bullet wounds.
The vigilante leader said, “When they started the operation in Igarra, we quickly mobilised our people around the surrounding villages because they (robbers) came through Lampese to Ososo and down to Igarra and they were also going back through the axis, passing through Enwan. And our men barricaded their route and there was an exchange of gunfire. One of them was killed; another was arrested while many escaped with gunshot wounds. They (vigilantes) also impounded one of the vehicles they used.”
The Edo State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Chris Ezike, who confirmed the incident, told our correspondent on the telephone that one of the suspects had been arrested. He also said that the police recovered a total sum of N4, 452,500, 11 AK47 rifles and 39 Improvised Explosive Devices.
Ezike said, “I can also confirm that one of the robbers has been arrested. One died in a shoot-out. Eleven AK47 rifles were recovered; I have just finished a press conference in Igarra now. We have also recovered N4,452,500 from them. We have recovered 41 AK47 magazines, 39 Improvised Explosive Devices, and we recovered assorted ammunition.”