“AREa, Zico come and see money.See money wey we dey look for,” screamed one of the robbers.
In a jiffy, the robbers packed about N20m said to have been arranged for loading into the Automated Teller Machines at a Zenith Bank branch in Ebute-Ipakodo in Ikorodu, Lagos, on Wednesday morning.
A bank official, who narrated how the robbery took place, said the ecstasy displayed by the robbers was only comparable to “what you see when a footballer scores a decisive goal.”
As some of the gang members held everyone in bank hostage while looting additional cash from the strong room, others were doing the same at the First Bank branch in the area.
Satisfied with their bounty, the gunmen stormed out and challenged policemen, whose station is opposite the First Bank branch, to confront them.
Even though no policeman was in sight, they displayed more bravado by setting three Sports Utility Vehicles which they drove to the banks, on fire. Before this, they had removed the number plates of the vehicles.
A young lady was said to have led the over one hour attacks which bore semblance of the March 12 robbery in Lekki, Lagos.
Four persons, including a teenage apprentice vulcaniser, simply identified as Rilwan, were injured by the robbers who fled through a jetty in the area.
It was learnt that the bandits, numbering about 16 invaded the banks, located directly opposite the Ipakodo Police Division, at about 9am and started shooting indiscriminately.
victim in the hospital
They were said to have opened fire at the police station to scare the officers, after which they proceeded with their operation.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the robbers used dynamite to shatter the rotor doors of the two banks to gain entrance and order members of staff and their customers to lie down.
It was gathered that some of the gunmen were outside the banks firing into the air for over an hour.
Some security operatives, comprising policemen and soldiers, arrived the area around 1.30pm after the robbers had fled.
Our correspondent, who visited the Ikorodu General Hospital, where the injured victims were taken to, met an employee of the Zenith Bank and a customer,who gave his name simply as Segun.
The banker (name withheld) and Segun sustained injuries after hitting their heads on glasses while the teenage vulcaniser and the fourth victim, anokada(motorcycle) rider, were hit by stray bullets.
The bank official narrated the incident to sympathisers and our correspondent who found his way into the hospital.
He said the robbers carted away over N80m from Zenith Bank which “a bullion van was to transport out of the bank.”
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