WITNESSES of the invasion of a branch of the First Bank of Nigeria in Ifaki-Ekiti, Ekiti State, by armed robbers on Thursday have recounted their ordeals saying that some of them had to hide in latrines and in holes when the robbers began their indiscriminate shooting in the bank’s vicinity.
The witnesses, who spoke with Saturday Tribune on Friday and who also operate a mechanic workshop directly opposite the bank, said it would amount to a lie for anyone of them to say they knew how it all started.
“When I heard gunshots, first at the police station area and then at the area where the Civil Defence office is located, the only option was to run with my legs,” one of them stated.
They said the sudden release of gunshots threw the entire community into confusion as everyone scampered for safety, saying “while the robbery lasted, the entire Ifaki was like a ghost town until it was over.”
The witnesses hinted that the bank branch closes at 12 noon, claiming that the policemen that fell victim of the armed robbery attack had come to pick their colleagues who were on security duty at the branch at some minutes to 4pm, when the robbers descended on the town.
One of the mechanics said: “I was competing for a space with a mobile police officer as we ran for safety. He had to hurriedly remove his uniform when we ran to the back of a nearby building.
“This is not the first time we witnessed armed robbery attack in this branch. Each of the occasions had not been a good experience at all.”
Saturday Tribune met the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Ibrahim Chafe, at the robbery scene as he led a team of some officers and met to inspect the ravaged branch.
Chafe explained that one policeman, whose name was given as Fadoju Akinola, was killed “and that the injured one is receiving treatment in the hospital,” adding that the robbers had destroyed the ATM which he said they plundered.
Chafe said that the extent of damage had not been ascertained, saying, the strong room of the bank was locked “so we can’t say how much was stolen yet.”
He said more men had been deployed on ground and investigations have commenced.
However, it was gathered from concerned members of the community that Ifaki people were now considering engaging traditional means of securing the branch.
It was gathered that the community had suggested the idea of performing some rituals to guard against robbery after the attack of two years ago.
“The manager had rejected the idea, saying that as Christians it was only proper that they out their trust in God alone. We may have to resort to that again, because it had been done before at a branch of another bank in this town,” the source said.
Speaking on the incident, the Olufaki of Ifaki, Oba Gabriel Oluwole Agbaje, decried the armed invasion, saying it was the third time armed robbers would attack banks in the community “and our people are very sad.”
Oba Agbaje, who spoke through Olori Victoria Bola Agbaje, said “the community is sad, the council of chiefs was even still in a meeting when the incident occurred and the chiefs too are concerned.”
The traditional ruler said “we are disheartened because the last time this kind of incident occurred, we recalled how much we suffered travelling to Ado Ekiti for bank transactions.”
The monarch called in the government to increase security presence at the bank and in the community, saying “our security agents at the bank are trying their best, and we have our vigilance group and police patrolling at night.
“But now that the armed robbers come in the day time, we want a change of security strategy to forestall another occurrence.”