There is palpable fear in Lapai, Niger State,
after scores of gunmen invaded the community and robbed two financial
institutions – First Bank of Nigeria Plc, and United Bank for Africa.
In the operation, which reportedly lasted for
about an hour, the assailants were said to have killed a policeman and a
security guard manning the banks, as well as a mechanic, identified simply as
Aliyu.
It was learnt that the incident happened around
5pm on Wednesday when the bank officials were rounding off for the day.
A resident of the community, Mohammed Idris, in a
telephone interview with PUNCH Metro on Thursday said the robbers came
in a large number and announced their presence with continuous gunshots.
Idris said the bandits parked their cars at a
junction and blocked all the roads leading to the community.
“Some of them mounted roadblocks, while others
marched to the Lapai Police Division and laid siege to the division. Others
were said to have stormed the banks.
“They were many. They attacked the police station
and blocked every road that led to Lapai. They killed a policeman and a
security guard attached to one of the banks and shattered the glass doors of
the banks. They made away with a lot of money. They also killed a mechanic at a
motor park, and left many injured. The boy has been buried,” he added.
Another resident, who gave his name only as
Adamu, explained that the assailants packed stolen cash from the banks in two
cars belonging to bank workers and zoomed off to where their vehicles were
parked.
He said they abandoned one of the two cars along
Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida University, and left in the other one, as well as
their vehicles.
Adamu added that the ambience of the banks was
still solemn as of Thursday morning.
He said, “I was in town when I started to hear
gunshots. It was after the robbery that I went to the scene. I learnt the
attack started from the police station. The policemen ran away. Some of the
robbers were at the station, while the robbery went on at the UBA and First
Bank at the same time. All the roads – Suleja, Mina and Bida – that lead to
Lapai were blocked. They shot repeatedly into the air.
“A policeman was killed at the UBA and one was
seriously injured. At First Bank, one of the security men was also injured. At
a point, some youths started throwing stones at the robbers. One of them was
shot dead by the robbers and two others were seriously injured. The deceased
boy was from the Batafu area of Lapai. His name is Aliyu.
“Two cars were taken away from the bank. The
robbers left one of the cars along IBBU Road.
“This attack is first of its kind in Lapai; I
have never witnessed such attack before. People were running for dear
lives and there were no security personnel to call upon. It was very terrible.
“As of 9am today (Thursday) when I passed through
the area, people were still there, watching. Police were not there. I learnt
the banks’ workers have been moved to Minna.”
Our correspondents learnt that the guard later
died from the gunshot injuries.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police in
charge of Zone 7, Abuja, Salisu Fagge, described the incident as unfortunate.
Fagge said he was sent by the Inspector-General
of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to sympathise with the affected banks and assess the
level of damage done by the hoodlums.
He said, “The Lapai Police Division needed to be
strengthened to avert a recurrence of the ugly incident.”
The Niger State Commissioner of Police, Austin
Agbonlahor, said no arrest had been made, noting that the command had yet to
ascertain the amount that was stolen from the two banks.
Agbonlahor said detectives had commenced
investigations into the robbery, adding that they had recovered a Toyota
Corolla with number plate, KRD 561 AJ, Lagos.
Head, Media and External Communications, First
Bank Plc., Mr. Babatunde Lasaki, said he had yet to be briefed on the incident.
He said, “I don’t have a statement on it yet. I can’t
confirm the incident because I don’t have any report on it yet.”
An official of the UBA, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, confirmed the damage to the doors of the bank, but said the robbers
did not gain access to cash.
“I don’t think they were successful in carting
away any money. They did not succeed,” he added.
The police bosses were however silent on the
number of deaths.
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