Six Injured, As Robbers Raid First, Zenith Banks In Ikorodu

Barely three weeks after armed robbers successfully carried out a robbery operation in Ikorodu, Lagos, an armed gang, Wednesday morning, invaded the Ogolonto area of the town, near the Dangote factory, robbing branches of First and Zenith banks.

Daily Independent gathered that despite the presence of a police station opposite the banks, the robbers carried out coordinated simultaneous attacks on the two banks for almost an hour and made away with millions of Naira in sacks.



The robbers were said to have gained entry into the banking hall of the first bank after using a device to open the computerised door and upon entering the hall ordered everybody to lie face down on the ground, while they allegedly blew open the vaults of the bank.

Witnesses said that after operating at the first bank, the robbers entered the second bank, just opposite the first bank; they had robbed after shooting sporadically to scare away people.

The leader of the gang who tied an object suspected to be a charm around his neck was said to have sat down in front of the bank bragging, and no police officer could confront him.

A journalist, resident in the area told our correspondent that the two police officers, who were critically injured while confronting the robbers, were later rushed to a nearby hospital, even as Rapid Response police officers from the Lagos police command in Ikeja were mobilised to go after the robber

According to him, security officers attached to the two banks were caught off guard and they fled for their dear lives while the robbery operations, which lasted for more than 45 minutes was going on.

But, a police source said that three of the robbers were arrested at Ogolonto, when police officers gave them a hot chase after recovering from the shock of the robbery operations.

The leader of the gang who tied charm around her neck was said to have sat down in front of the bank bragging, and no police officer was able to confront her.

Sources at one of the bank branch invaded, disclosed that there were about 15 armed men whose ages could not be more than 20-years.

They ripped open bank’s safe, using dynamite, while the staffs were made to lie on the floor during the incident.

The robbers also burnt three vehicles in front of a recreational garden near the scene of the incident, and escaped via the ferry service operated beside the garden.

One eye witness said: “I could not dare stare them in the face. I just lay on the floor as they instructed and waited there until they left. I have never seen anything like that before.”