5th October, 2011
While people in Lagos, southwest Nigeria, were busy celebrating the nation’s 51st Independence anniversary last weekend, some armed robbers were busy breaking into bank vaults in the state.
P.M.NEWS learnt that on Sunday, 2 October, armed robbers attempted to loot the Trinity branch of Zenith Bank of Nigeria Plc. Their plan to loot the bank of millions of naira was, however, frustrated by a combined team of anti-robbery police officers from the federal and Lagos State squads, who arrived at the bank just on time to engage the robbers in a gun duel.
However, another group of armed robbers succeeded in breaking into the vault of the Festac branch of the Intercontinental Bank of Nigeria Plc, and allegedly carted away N3.8million, but luck ran out them while on their way out of the bank
A resident of Festac Town told P.M.NEWS that the suspects, a 24-year- old indigene of Imo State and a 25-year-old man from Abia State, were pursued by some commercial motorcycle operators who caught up with them at the Festac Town junction.
According to our source, the duo were beaten to a pulp and the money retrieved from them by okada riders assisted by passers by and the police.
When the money packed in some Ghana-must-go bags and loaded in car boots was later counted in the bank’s premises at about 7:10 pm, only N1.8million was found.
Samuel Jinadu, Lagos State police spokesman, told our reporter that he is not aware of the Intercontinental Bank robbery but confirmed that two persons were arrested in connection with the attempt to break into the vault of Zenith Bank, Trinity branch, saying that the suspected robbers will be interrogated.
The Lagos police image maker refused to give the names of the arrested bank robbers as, according to him, that could jeopardise police investigations.
—Emmanuel Udom