A robbery gang led by a teenage girl yesterday ransacked four banks at Ipakodo, Ebute- Ogolonto area of Ikorodu, Lagos State. The robbers went away millions of naira and inflicted gunshot injuries on many civilians.
The lady, described as a female ‘commando’, was issuing orders to the men during the operations. Witnesses said that the robbers operated for over two hours without any challenge from the police. Ironically, two of the affected banks are located opposite Ipakodo Police Station. The robbers, made up of 15 and the teenage female leader, were said to have arrived Ikorodu in three Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs).
They were armed with sophisticated guns and explosives. The robbers arrived the area around 8a.m. and waited for the banks to begin operations. After they were through with their operation, they removed the number plates of the vehicles, set them ablaze and escaped through speedboats. One of the residents said: “It was after the robbers had operated for over two hours, carted away money and escaped through the lagoon that the police finally came. It was almost as if they were waiting for the robbers to rob and leave before they came.”
The bandits attacked three new generation banks and one old generation bank. It was gathered that the attack, which took place directly in front of Ipakodo Police station, caught the police, residents and banks unaware. Although no life had been confirmed lost, a good number of people were injured as a result of stampede and gun injuries. They were taken to hospitals for treatment.
A female witness said: “The operation started around 8:30a.m. The robbers left many people injured as a result of pandemonium which ensued. “I’m a school teacher at Junior Secondary School, Majidun. I came to the bank around 8a.m. to withdraw some money. It was not up to 30 minutes I left the banking hall that the robbers came in three cars. “They opened fire all around the two banks in front of the police station.
They also sprayed bullets at the entrance of the Ipakodo Police Station to scare policemen. They gained entrance into the two banks without any confrontation. They blew open the doors leading into the banking halls. They attacked two banks simultaneously. After that, they went to other two banks.”
As heavy shootings rocked the area, commercial activities were abruptly halted. Shops were shut and buses deserted the roads. A vulcanizer, who gave his name as Uche, said he was already at his shop when the robbers stormed the area. He said: “They started spraying bullets at the entrance of the police station. The gunshots were intimidating. There was no way I could run out of the shop.
All I did was to hide inside one of my tyres in my shop.” A banker from one of the new generation banks, said: “All the money in the bank, running into millions of naira were carted away.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, who visited the scene of the incident along with some military officers, assured that the command would not leave any stone unturned in investigating the attack.
He said: “I got to know about this incident this morning. On the receipt of that, I called our operatives to come down to the scene. I am here with other security chiefs to have a joint coordinated approach to this incident and we are working together on it. “We are very positive we are going to get to the root of the matter. Just give us time to go through it. We are still at the preliminary stage.
We have accessed the banking hall. We are working seriously on it and we are going to address it. “The timing and conduct of the men (policemen) are also going into investigation. We are going to take a holistic look at the operations for these jetties; the vulnerability of our waterways and we are going to address it in a very comprehensive manner. Nobody died.”
Aderanti, who drafted over 100 policemen, including officers from Anti-bomb Unit, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) and Ipakodo police officers to the scene, ordered them to cordon off the banks. The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Kenneth Nwosu, said the police swung into action after being alerted. He said policemen were still on the trail of the robbers.
The PPRO assured Lagosians of adequate security, saying they should not panic as police were on top of the situation. Nwosu said N5 million would be given to any individual who could avail the police with useful information to ensure the arrest of the gang. He said: “The command will reward anybody with useful information towards the arrest of the bank robbers with N5 million.” Commenting on the incident and the general security challenge lately, the Secretary to the Lagos State Government (SSG), Mr. Tunji Bello, said the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode would respond promptly.
According to him, the robbers and other criminals are only catching in on the transition in government and other security apparatuses to strike. He said: “Believe me, we will respond, they won’t go scot-free. Government will beef up security across the state. There is no cause for alarm, we will react and respond swiftly.
Lagos is nogo area for criminals. Lagosians should not panic. “You can see what is happening at the federal level too with Boko Haram striking in recent times. Whenever there is transition in government, criminals exploit the moment to carry out their atrocities. We will deal with the situation.” Newstelegraph
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