By Ahmed Ajikobi
There was apprehension among residents of Ilorin metropolis; the Kwara State capital on Friday over armed robbery attack in one of new generation banks rented the air.
The panic, created by the scare, caused shops and other commercial spots around the popular Unity and Ibrahim Taiwo road to hurriedly close shops, while motorists avoided the area.
When our reporter visited the area, financial institutions such as Union Bank, First Bank, Sterling Bank, Eco Bank among others were noticed under lock for security reason.
Police vans from various divisions in the state led by the Commissioner of Police, Aminu Pai Saleh were also sighted patrolling the area.
Speaking with a security officer at one of the banks who pleaded anonymity, he said a customer rushed in to alert the management that there was robbery attack going on at First Bank, Unity Road.
“We first asked the customers to vacate the banking hall to avoid any casualty and we afterward closed down operation.โ
Meanwhile, some of the banks customers who were turned back for fear of being attacked by the robbers have lamented the situation. A customer at UBA said he was about to collect huge sum of money from the cashier when the order to vacate the building came.
“I couldn’t collect the money but I later discovered from the police that it was a mere speculation,” he lamented.
However, the state police Command, through a statement by the Public Relations Officer, DSP Ajayi Okasanmi, denied any such incident in the metropolis.
“The state police command is shocked to receive an avalanche of calls from panic stricken individuals, arising from a false alarm to the effect that Robbers are operating in some banks along Unity and Taiwo Areas.
“The alarm is false, fake and a ploy to cause unnecessary panic in the minds of the people. The command wishes to assure members of the public of their safety, and its preparedness to provide needed security cover for all the banks in particular and people of Kwara in general. Members of the public are advised to be vigilant and make information of untoward movements to the police please”, he said.
