Death toll in Owo bank robbery hits 20

Premises of the robbed banks | credits: Tunde Ajaja
No fewer than 20 persons have lost their lives in the bank
robbery operation that engulfed Owo town in Ondo State, on
Thursday.
A reliable source at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, who
pleaded anonymity, said 18 corpses were brought to the
hospital at about 8:20pm on Thursday, while additional two
were brought in on Friday morning.
“Now as I speak to you, we have 20 corpses in the morgue.
We received 18 bodies last night and additional two this
morning. They were all casualties of the robbery incident that
happened the previous night. We also have about 25 people,
with varying degree of injuries, receiving treatment in the
emergency ward.
Armed robbers at about 5pm on Thursday attacked four
banks, namely, Wema Bank, Ecobank, First Bank and Skye
bank. Eyewitness accounts put the number of the hoodlums
that carried out the operation at about 40 and that they
arrived in about ten vehicles.
When Saturday Punch visited the community on Friday, there
was an uneasy calm as the residents, in clusters, lined major
roads in the ancient town discussing and analysing the
tragedy that had befallen them the previous night. None of the
banks opened for operation, but our correspondent learnt that
the staff were in the bank trying to put things in order.
It was learnt that the branch manager of Wema Bank, a staff
and a security officer attached to the bank were killed in the
premises. There were still splashes of blood on the floor of the
pavement at the frontage of the bank as of Friday morning.
There was also an abandoned Mercedes Benz E320 4MATIC
wagon, with registration number APP 574 DG. Also, the only
security door at the entrance of the bank was blown open.
An eye witness, who identified himself simply as Seun, said
the manager was instructed to fill one of the vehicles with
cash, and that after obeying the directive, he and two others
were shot outside the banking hall.
“After filling their vehicle with cash inside, they told him to
drive the car out of the park, and they shot him. They also
shot another staff, popularly known as Wale and then a
security guard. Adjacent the bank, two brothers, one of whom
was selling cassette, were killed. Those robbers went away
with a lot of money,” he said.
At Skye Bank, many payment tellers and office files littered the
entrance while a pungent smell of fire still engulfed the area.
The security door at the entrance was also blown open while
gunshots pierced the glass windows on the first floor. Part of
the building was also burnt. It was leant that huge sum of
money was also carted away.
At the Ecobank located at Mobil roundabout, our
correspondent found that gun bullets shattered the glass walls
at the entrance of the bank while one of the two security
doors was blown open by the robbers. A source, who pleaded
anonymity, said the bank had closed for operations and that
they were busy balancing their accounts when the incident
happened.
“It was around 5:14pm. They stationed one person outside
while two others were carrying out the operation inside. They
made away with a lot of money but they didn’t kill anyone,”
the source said.
[/media-credit] Premises of the robbed banks
At First Bank, gunshots also shattered the glass walls while
the security door was also blown open. It was leant that the
robbers made away with bags of cash, while killing two
persons, including a man using the ATM and a small boy who
was found stealing a glance at them.
As if these were not enough, two armoured tanks belonging to
the police were also attacked with traces of gunshots on one
of them with registration number NPF5234C, which was also
driven into a gutter in front of the PHCN office in the area. A
bus belonging to the PHCN also had its rear glass shattered
while a few bullets decorated pierced the glass window of the
three-storey building.
It was gathered that the Nigeria Police Medical Services, Area
Command headquarters, was also attacked by the robbers
and that about four policemen were killed while the mobile
phones of others were seized.
A resident, Mr. Tunji Olude, told Saturday Punch that it took
the efforts of some soldiers to mount a barricade at the exit
point of the robbers, where about five of the robbers were
killed and two were arrested.
Reacting to the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer in
Ondo State, Mr. Wole Ogodo, confirmed the incident, saying
two of the robbers were arrested. He added that the
commissioner of police would later in the day brief the press
on the incident.