There was pandemonium on Wednesday at Igede, headquarters of Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area of Ekiti State as daredevil robbers launched a bloody attack on an old generation bank in the area.
The seven-man gang swooped on the bank located on Ado-Aramoko-Ilesa Highway at about 5.50 pm and shot sporadically into the air.
Residents disclosed that human and vehicular traffic was halted by the hoodlums who positioned themselves within and outside the bank premises.
The attack caught bank workers and locals living nearby unawares as the bank had officially closed for the day at the time the robbers stuck.
Two workers of the bank including a security guard were shot dead by the robbers during the operation that latest about 20 minutes.
The robbers, during the attack, blew up the Automated Tellers Machine (ATM) with bullets, which caused panic within the vicinity of the bank.
Igede was the latest Ekiti community to taste the bitter pill of bank robbery.
Other communities that had witnessed bank robberies in recent times are Ado, Ikere, Ilasa, Ikere, Ifaki, Otun, Okemesi and Ilawe.
A visit to Igede on Thursday showed residents wearing mournful looks gathering in groups to discuss the bank robbery.
Police spokesman Caleb Ikechukwu who confirmed the incident said men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) were deployed to the scene who exchanged gunfire with the robbers.
Ikechukwu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said the robbers later fled the scene and were pursued by the SARS men until the robbers escaped into a thick forest at a location between Igede and Ilawe.
He disclosed that the guard, who was shot in the head died within the premises of the bank while the injured staff died in the hospital.
According to him, the forest has been rounded up by the police and that his men are combing the bush in search of the robbers.
Ikechukwu said: “The robbers would have done more havoc than they did, but for prompt action taken by our men. There was exchange of gunshots between the bandits and our personnel. They tried their best to manage the situation.
“It is true that two persons were killed during the bank operation The operation was regrettable and the death of the two persons was painful.
“The command is stepping up its intelligence gathering skill and operation. As a temporary measure, we are going to deploy more men in banks to make the place safe for staff and customers.
“If you are on ground in Igede now, more men have been deployed, particularly the mobile police unit. We are doing same across the state.
“As we speak, our Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) and Stat Intelligence Investigation Department (SIID) have drafted their men for intelligence gathering while mobile policemen are on road and other critical areas”.
The police image maker urged members of the public to go about their normal businesses, assuring that the police are on top of the situation.
An eyewitness revealed that the robbers actually gained entry into the banking hall before being resisted by the police, saying no one could ascertain whether money was carted away or not.
He said: “The bank was close to the bank and owing to its proximity, people were really affected by the gunshots. They had to run in different directions for their lives.
“We know a bank staff and a guard were killed, but we can’t say much about their identities.”
