AFTER what appeared to be a lull in the incidence of bank robberies, dare-devil armed men yesterday attacked a bullion van belonging to a first generation bank on Aba Road, Port Harcourt and carted away more than N50 million.
Also yesterday, about 10 armed robbers attacked a branch of a commercial bank in Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State escaping with an undisclosed amount of money and leaving one of the bank’s workers with leg injuries.
Eyewitnesses explained that the well armed eight-man gang attacked the bullion van close to Garrison Junction Port Harcourt. The bandits, who rode on six motorcycles, shot sporadically into the air to scare people away.
Having successfully intercepted the bullion van along the busy Aba Road, the bandits forced the driver and his escorts out and directed them to lie flat on the highway. Other members of the gang opened the vehicle to fetch the bags in which the money were packed and fled on their motorcycles.
A witness told The Guardian that the robbers, who were armed to the teeth, stormed the bank, which is located opposite the Adekunle Ajasin University at around noon, with one of the bank’s workers shot in the leg during the operation.
The Guardian, however, learnt that the robbers stormed the bank with the hope that the bank’s bullion van, which had gone to collect money, had returned. But the bank’s bullion van was yet to arrive at the bank as at the time they struck.
During the robbery, it was learnt that the driver of the bullion van who was on his way to the bank had suspected that some strange things were happening on the premises and immediately turned back and sped off to an unknown destination.
It was learnt that one of the armed robbers who kept vigil outside the premises of the bank discovered that the bullion van driver had turned back, and he quickly alerted others, which made them to force open the automated teller machine installed in the bank premises and cart away all the money there.
It was also learnt that the robbers had a field day as the highway was deserted while the operation lasted, while a man was said to have been shot at Isua Junction as the robbers fled.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mr. Adeniran Aremu, said the robbers did not succeed.
His words: “The robbers were repelled by the police. They met stiff resistance and they had to flee and the matter is still under investigation.”