Aftermath of bank robbery: Anger, anguish in Ikare-Akoko

The sleepy town of Ikare-Akoko in Akoko South West Local
Government Area of Ondo State came under fire on Tuesday,
January 13. It was the day some daredevil armed robbers
invaded the town and shook the headquarters of the Akoko
nation to its foundation.
The sons of the devil mowed down no fewer than 20 residents
of the town, including four police officers.
The community has, since the unfortunate incident, been
thrown into serious mourning and untold grief, as many
families were affected by the unfortunate incident. Those who
did not have their relatives killed in the robbery attack had
friends and associates injured by the armed robbers. Right
now, the entire town still wears a sorrowful look.
The robbers took the people of the town by surprise. It was
learnt that they had arrived the town hours before they
commenced their dastardly operation that reportedly started at
4.00pm and lasted for close to three hours.
During the operation, huge sums of money were carted away
by the armed robbers who stormed a branch of a new
generation bank in the town. From there, they moved to the
police station located along Owo Road where they attacked
the policemen on duty. In the process, they killed four officers
and left three severely injured.
At the end of the operation, it was gathered that the robbers
killed 15 people, including four policemen. Efforts to apprehend
them by both the police and the community’s vigilance group
proved abortive.
Since then, more persons have died as a result of injuries they
sustained during the robbery, it was gathered.
Sources in the town informed the reporter that the armed
robbers, in a well-planned operation, had divided themselves
into two groups, with one group blocking the police station
along Owo Road while the other attacked their targets along
Jubilee Road in the town.
The policemen were killed in their station while trying to
mobilise more men to confront the robbers. But other victims
of the attack, including a former chairman of the National
Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mr Kenny Gold,
were killed at the scene of the robbery.
Most of the victims, the source said, were killed while trying to
withdraw money from the automated teller machine (ATM)
placed at the entrance of the bank. Another set of victims, it
was learnt, was killed within the bank premises.
The incident, the reporter learnt, was the second within a year.
The last robbery, which occurred in the night, had the door of
a branch of the bank blown with dynamites. All the banks in
the town also closed for days after the incident.
A resident of the town, one Mr. Wale, who volunteered
information, said the armed robbers had stationed a group
with a military vehicle in front of the police station while
another group was ready for action at the bank area along
Jubilee Road in the town.
As one of the groups was attacking the bank with dynamites
and grenades in order to gain access to the banking hall,
Gidado stated that the other group was engaging the
policemen who were on duty to prevent them from mobilizing
their men to the scene of the crime. Both operations, he said,
went on simultaneously in the town as gunshots reverberated
throughout the busy Jubilee Road, where the bank is located,
and its environs.
Since the incident, members of the community have continued
to mourn the brutal killing of the residents who died in the
unfortunate incident. They have also vowed to avenge the
gruesome killing of their loved ones. As a result of the
incident, business and commercial activities have been
paralysed in honour of the victims.
The people of the town, who lamented the invasion of the
community by armed bandits numbering about 10, also called
on the Inspector General of Police, Mr Suleiman Abba, to
improve the security of the town. They also plan to employ
the services of vigilantes to forestall a recurrence, the reporter
was told.
The traditional ruler of the town, Oba Akadiri Momoh, who
condemned the incident, urged the police to investigate the
robbery that led to the killing of his subjects, just as he urged
the security men to ensure that the perpetrators of the
dastardly act were brought to book.
The monarch, who said he had met with traditional chiefs in
the town on how to ensure adequate security in the
community, confirmed that the death toll had risen to over 20.
According to him, many of the victims of the robbery attack
died after the armed robbers had left the town.
He said since the incident, prominent personalities, including
Senator Bode Olajumoke and representatives of the state
government who conveyed the condolences of the state
Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko to the people, had visited the
town.
Primary and secondary schools in the town were closed for
two days, while all the markets in the town were also shut for
two days as a mark of honour for those who lost their lives in
the incident.
The community, it was gathered, have concluded plans to
employ traditional methods to avenge the evil acts of the
robbers. A resident who pleaded anonymity said traditionalists
in the town had been meeting on measures to dole out
adequate punishment to the yet unknown gunmen.
Meanwhile, the state police command has expressed its
readiness to ensure that the robbers were arrested and
brought to justice, stressing that the town would not be left in
the hands of robbers.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Mr.
Wole Ogodo said the police were on the trail of the robbers
and would ensure that they did not go scot-free.
He said peace had finally returned to the town, adding that
the police officers would continue to ensure adequate security
in the town to forestall a breakdown of law and order.
He urged the people of the state and the town in particular to
remain calm, noting that the police would ensure that justice
was served.