Four persons, including a
soon-to-wed young security guard, were reportedly killed by dare-devil armed
robbers robbery during an attack on a Bank at Otun-Ekiti in Moba Local
Government Area of Ekiti State on Thursday night. Among those killed were the
Manager and cashier of Heritage Bank, security man at Unity Bank and the night
guard to the town’s monarch, Oba Adedapo Popoola, Oore Otun of Moba land.
Ekiti State Police Public Relations
Officer (PPRO), Mr. Alberto Adeyemi, who confirmed the incident, said that the
police had deposited the bodies of the deceased at the morgue in Usi-Ekiti
General Hospital, adding that the command commenced investigations into the
development and hope that the perpetrators would soon be apprehended. \
While narrating the incident, Oba
Popoola, said: “it happened about 6pm on Thursday evening. I was relaxing with
my chiefs in front of the palace when we heard what first sounded like some
fireworks and we dismissed it as some of the children’s antics as a result of
the festive period. But later we heard heavier and more shocking sounds that
resembled gunshots and explosives. That was when we realized it was no child’s
play. “Gunshots and explosives were all over the place and heard from all
corners.
I couldn’t situate the incident as
we ruminated whether it was robbery, Boko Haram’s attack or some kind of war
happening. We later learnt that the robbers mounted their men at four outlets
into the town, first was the roundabout at Orimope Road, second was outside
Moba LGA secretariat , third was in front of my palace and the fourth was in
front of the Technical college outside the town on the way leading to Kwara.
“The sporadic gunshots and
explosives lasted for about an hour before the dust settled. And by that time
four innocent lives were dead. The Manager and cashier of Heritage Bank,
security man at Unity Bank and the my night guard who had just resumed for
night duty and wanted to close the gate.
“ I reported the case to the
governor and he immediately mobilized the security operatives who promptly
followed the governor’s instruction and came around past 7pm but the robbers
had long left.” “The border towns and local government areas should be given
very tight security so that such incident would not happen again. Government
should put in more effort into seeing to the protection of lives and property.
“, he said. Investigation revealed that the Unity Bank security guard had also
just resumed for work that evening.
His soon to be wedded wife is
heavily pregnant and their wedding had be fixed for a week’s time. A resident
of the town who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity, said: “The
Oba’s guard killed was shot in his private part.
He was about closing the Oba’s gate
when one of the robbers rushed towards him and rained bullets on him and
dispatched into an early grave. The man who is to get married in two weeks
time, he and the Oba’s guard hailed from Mayan outskirts of Otun. Even police
men ran for dear life. We saw a sergeant with the police who ran far more than
every others who scampered for safety during the attack. The one killed in
Unity bank has just two weeks to his wedding. His wife is heavily pregnant. We
also learnt that the slain Bank manager resumed just 20 minutes when the
robbers attacked, “ he said.
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