It was like a scene from an action-packed movie .
A group of people , among them a lady , shooting
indiscriminately, their guns ’ smoke clouding the skyline.
Residents scampered indoors , banging their doors .
Businesses closes hurriedly .
The scene was no movie, it all happened in Ikorodu the
outskirts of Lagos where robbers struck.
The robbers, armed with sophisticated guns and
explosives, hit two banks on Ipakodo Road , Ebute ,
Ikorodu.
They escaped in a speedboat on the lagoon after
setting ablaze some vehicles , including the ones that
brought them.
The cash lost in the early morning robbery could not be
ascertained last night .
Witknesses said the robbers might have arrived at the
vicinity of the banks at dawn and laid a seige to the
area, waiting for them to open for business .
They launched the attacks simultaneously around
8: 30 am .
The robbers disarmed the securitymen and made
straight for the doors , which they blasted with
explosives.
While the operation was going on inside , some of the
robbers stood guard outside and intermittently fired
shots into the air to scare away people .
Witnesses said there was heavy exchange of gun shots
between the robbers and policemen who responded to
distress calls .
A witnes, who runs a business concern close to the
banks , which are opposite a police station, said at a
point in the course of the operation , the robbers dared
the police to come out and face them.
There was pandemonium in Ipakodo . Pedestrians
scampered for safety. Motorists made u- turns to leave
the area.
The incident caused a traffic gridlock at Ogolonto and
on Beach Road as motorists changed routes to escape
from the troubled area.
It was gathered that some pedestrians and customers
were injured by stray bullets .
Commissioner of Police Kayode Aderanti visited the
robbery scene and met with operatives in the area.
He said the police had launched “ full scale
investigation” into the robbery , with a view to arresting
the suspects.
He also said investigation was on -going on last month’ s
robbery at another bank in Omitoro, Ijede Road , in the
same town .
Yesterday ’ s attack came barely three weeks after the
one at Ijede .
A police source said yesterday that the robbers might
have taken a cue from the bank robbery in Lekki two
months ago as the mode of operation was the same .
Some of the suspects in the Lekki robbery have been
arrested by the police.
Lagos Police spokesman Ken Nwosu , a Deputy
Superintendent, said investigations had begun into the
robbery . He announced a N5 million reward for anyone
with useful information on the robbers .
He said : “ At about 0830 hrs of June 24 , some armed
bandits numbering 10 stormed banks on Ipakodo Road ,
Ikorodu and carted away unspecified amount of money.
“ The armed bandits were engaged by policemen
mobilised to the scene forcing them to escape through
the Origin Jetty along Kosoko water.
“ The command is taking far reaching decisions towards
tackling the menace of these hoodlums . Intensive
efforts towards rounding up these hoodlums are
underway even as the CP assured the banks of the
Command’ s resolve to ensure the safety of their
operations in Ikorodu and indeed the state .
“ Three vehicles used by the bandits got burnt under
cross fire and empty shells were recovered . ”
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