Mrs Korede was identified among the dead just as the number of persons killed in the robbery attack has increased to 22.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed that nine policemen were killed in the attack along with seven civilians. However, residents and eyewitnesses insisted that the casualty figure had risen to 22.
Residents who gave this figure described the robbery attack as the deadliest in the history of the town. The town has come under armed robbery attacks three times in the last five years.
Scores of other victims who sustained gunshot wounds in the incident are being treated in different hospitals across the state.
Some were taken to the General Hospital in Ilorin, the state capital, where the state governor, Abdulfatah Ahmed visited them and pledged to foot their bills.
The bandits raided some commercial banks in the town, killing policemen and civilians. They carted away an undisclosed amount of cash after operating for over an hour.
However, the death toll, which stood at 15 on Thursday, may have risen to 22, according to residents of the town who could not speak on the situation of several other victims that have been taken out of the town for treatment.
Saturday Tribune gathered that one of the victims of the incident was a pregnant trader identified as Mrs Korede, who had gone to lodge a complaint over a transaction in one of the banks.
She reportedly went with her son and when the robbers came, they killed both of them.
Three other women who lost their lives to the attack have also been identified as Bunmi Mesan, Iya Muji and another one popularly called Mama the Big Club.
A survivor, who said he hid somewhere inside one of the banks during the attack, was still in shock when he briefly shared his ordeal.
“My brother, it is not something to witness; it is better imagined. I don’t even pray it happens to my enemies. It was a terrible moment, death staring you in the face. I still can’t talk much about it,” he said.
Afenifere condemns FG’s silence
Pan-Yoruba organisation, Afenifere, in its reaction, expressed shock and sorrow at the killings and added that it was disappointed at the lack of any reaction on it from the Federal Government.
“The mass murder in Offa is so chilling and galling. It makes us to cringe and we mourn this disaster.
“But we are miffed that more than 24 hours after the tragic mass murder, the Federal Government has remained silent. This is unlike its responses to disasters in other places. Why? Is it because it is Offa?
“We are bothered that human life has become this cheap and without any defence or care. Our heart goes to the families and loved ones of those murdered. We pray that the dead will rest in peace,” Afenifere said.
Saraki mourns
Reacting to the incident, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said those behind the robbery and killings must be arrested.
In a statement on Friday, Saraki said there were no valid grounds for such violence that has left many families without their loved ones.
“Last night, I spoke to Governor [Abdulfatah] Ahmed to express my condolence on the lives that were lost in the attack, and we both agreed that no stone would be left unturned until the perpetrators of this heinous act are caught and brought to justice. It is also important that we all work together to ensure that this does not recur,” Saraki said
“We all must cooperate at various levels to increase the security of our communities. I pray that the souls of those that we lost yesterday [Thursday] are granted places among the righteous ones. My prayers and support will continue to be extended to all the affected families, and we will remain relentless until everyone who planned or carried out this attack faces the full wrath of the law,” he added.
The state governor, Alhaji Ahmed, on Friday, visited victims of the attack who are on admission at the General Hospital, Ilorin, where he pledged that the government would foot the medical bills of those being treated in that facility and others at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH).
The governor also promised improved government support for security agencies in the state.
Before they embarked on the bank raid, the robbers reportedly attacked the Owode Police Station where they killed officers and men and some complainants.
According to witnesses, the bandits were 15 in number and came into the town in different vehicles.
Among those murdered were an officer who was expected to retire in a few months and a pregnant policewoman.
The bandits were also said to have snatched some motorcycles to aid their escape.
Those injured were conveyed to the General Hospital, Offa, for treatment while the dead were deposited in the mortuary.
Seven policemen, two men from the police mobile unit and civilians, including those who had gone to the Offa police station, those detained in the cells and some customers on queues at Automated Teller Machine points were said to be among the casualties.
A resident who witnessed the attack told Saturday Tribune on condition of anonymity that a suspect had been arrested in connection with the attack.
He noted that the robbers entered the town at about 4.33 p.m. and the attacks started spontaneously at various banks with sporadic gunshots and dynamite explosions.
“They operated for almost two hours unchallenged and when they were leaving, they snatched seven vehicles at gun point. They snatched a Lexus jeep, Honda cars and others,” he said.
He, however, revealed that youths in the community and local hunters gave the robbers a hot pursuit but they escaped through the Igosun axis, a boundary community with Osun and Ekiti.
“The men pursued the robbers with the aid of a navy patrol van and they abandoned all the seven vehicles and ran into the bush. They were pursued until about 6.30 p.m. when it became too dark and those pursuing had to retreat. All the retrieved vehicles were returned to the naval base and from there, they were handed over to the Area Commander, Offa Division, in the presence of the DPO.”
Offa Descendants Union
Speaking on the attack, the National Public Relations Officer of the Offa Descendants Union, Olayemi Olaboye, said the assailants entered the town and immediately barricaded the Olofa Way, shooting dead a passer-by and then marching on to the Divisional Police Headquarters, about 200 metres away, where the killed everyone they met at the station.
“They killed those at the desk, mainly policewomen; those who went there for one complaint or the other and those who were detained.
“Having demobilised the policemen, they moved to the banks, which were located on a stretch. In the course of doing this, for about 75 minutes, some policemen on guard were shot dead, a number of bank workers were killed and so were customers who were on queue for ATM transactions. They came with what were thought to be dynamites with which they broke the security doors into the banks,” Olaboye said.
He revealed that a similar attack in 2013 caused the town to take some security measures which included the procurement of seven Hilux vans, fuelling and maintaining of same, as well as payment of stipends to the personnel of the security agencies and local vigilance groups in the town.
Olaboye said the community was still doing a recap of the incident to know what went wrong.
He, however, alleged that the state government has refused to grant an appeal by the community to make an Armoured Personnel Carrier available in the community to boost the security of the area.
“We had a similar attack in 2013 and the community mobilised and tried to procure about seven Hilux vans and equipped them for the various security agencies, including the Civil Defence, the Naval Base in Offa and local vigilance groups.
“The community has been keeping up with the responsibility of fuelling and maintaining the vehicles and even giving stipends to the personnel to be at alert. This was why the banks reopened in the community back then and when they reopened, they said they would only be open from 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. but we persuaded them to extend their operations to 2.00 p.m.
“For now, we are still trying to do a recap to see what actually went wrong. In a situation like this, after a routine for some years, you might think you have achieved perfection but yesterday’s incident has opened our eyes. Maybe we became too complacent and thought we had done much. Of course, we appealed to the state government for the provision of an Armoured Personnel Carrier, which has not been granted,” Olaboye said.
Speaking with Saturday Tribune, residents and other stakeholders called for a review of the security arrangement for banks in the state.
Due to previous attacks, businessmen and traders had resorted to carrying their cash to banks in Ilorin, the state capital, a distance of about 100 kilometres as the commercial banks in Offa carried out partial operations for more than two years.
Olusegun Mokuolu, a public servant, said anyone could execute a robbery plan in the state with ease with the present security architecture.
“With unmatched weapons of robbers compared to the rusty weapons of our policemen, bandits would always have a field day. There is what is called rapid response squad in developed climes which is not seen here. They always attack without any form of resistance of law enforcement agencies virtually every time they operate.
“This is the time for serious action. Many of the policemen attached to these banks are just there to while away. There is no form of intelligence. They should be armed to the teeth to resist the hoodlums. One armed robber is enough to take down four policemen. There should be special firepower to respond immediately to armed robbery attacks. Government should provide training and supply equipment to secure lives and property,” he said.
Also speaking, a resident of Offa, Omotayo Owolabi, said local vigilance security outfit should be empowered with ammunition to complement efforts of the conventional law enforcement agencies.
“I have asked the question several times, where were the local vigilance teams? I had an experience in Sepeteri where armed robbers carted away a large sum of money. The people there only needed the footprints of some of the hoodlums and they did all that was necessary. They later caught the armed robbers,” he said.
When contacted, the Olofa of Offa, Oba Muftau Gbadamosi, told newsmen that the destruction was too enormous. He said he could not say anything more for now.
The town was quiet on Friday. It was learnt that a colloquium on the community earlier scheduled for today (Saturday) has been postponed to April 14, because of the incident.
Leaders of the town spent most of the day in consultations. A meeting that would involve all indigenes of the town has been slated for April 29.
There were also reports that the robbers, in their bid to escape from the state, also killed two mobile policemen in Okuku, Osun State, while they also reportedly abandoned three of the vehicles they used on the road.
A security expert, Mr Banjo Famuyiwa, queried the numerical strength of the police in the town, given its population and number of banks.
“The number of policemen available to the community is low, given the population and number of banks. The police post is also very close to the road. There are no strong barriers. Once you branch off the road, the next thing is the station.
“In some countries, they allow banks to use their personal security and I think we should do the same here, instead of wasting the lives of our policemen again and again. There should be no law that forbids banks to have their own security,” Famuyiwa said.
Also, an Ilorin-based group, Kwara Rebirth Ambassadors, in a statement, demanded an overhaul of the security architecture of the state.
The statement, signed by Mr Abdulrasheed Akogun (Coordinator) and Mr Ibrahim Sheriff (Publicity Secretary), reads in part: “The well-coordinated commercial banks armed robbery incident in Offa yesterday [Thursday] is callous, unacceptable, barbaric, condemnable in all ramifications. Our hearts are with the good people of Offa in this trying period of avoidable mishap. We condole with the families of victims and pray the Lord Almighty grant eternal rest to the souls of the departed.
“This latest bloody bank robbery in Offa township has left in its trail several salient questions begging for answers and it won’t be out of place to demand for a complete overhaul of the security architecture of the state, as the armed bandits have severally proven the porosity and poor policing of our inter-state borders, among other noticeable shortcomings.
“A visit to Osun, Ondo, Lagos, Ekiti and other sister states will see the strategic positioning of Armoured Personnel Career (APC) in and around the state. That is a clear show of readiness to combat security challenges as it arises. Bandits, violent cultists, touts and thugs have combined to hold the state to ransom in the last 10 days in Ilorin and Offa respectively.
“The Baboko, Sango and Offa incident where cultist, touts and armed bandits operated freely is a pointer to the confidence and boldness criminals now have to unleash violence, maim, rob, kill and cause chaos in the state unhindered and unchallenged.
“It is sardonic and bemusing how Kwara has transformed from being known as one of the most peaceful State in the country to one whose jugular is violently held by criminal elements. We implore all stakeholders to rise up to the occasion and jointly fashion out a way out of the incessant breakdown of law and order.
“While we appreciate the gallantry of men of the Nigerian Police Force who lost their lives in Offa, we wish to sincerely express displeasure with the seeming virtually none response from the security operatives.
“You will meet at least 10 road blocks before exiting Kwara when commuting from Ilorin to Osun. The question begging for answer is how were the bandits able to move freely into the state and out undetected and unchallenged?
“The latest violent armed robbery incident in Offa which left no fewer than 20 people dead is the third of its kind in a few years. It has exposed our deceit of never learning from history. Kwarans have been relegated to merely adjusting to bad occurrences and moving on after the usual camouflaged and chameleonic movements of the relevant stakeholders.
“We demand the arrest and prosecution of the blood-sucking bandits, arms mop-up, clampdown on thugs, cultists and all other violent groups. Above all, those arrested must be brought to book and made to face the full wrath of the law without fear or favour.
“We enjoin all Kwarans of conscience to stand up in unison to demand a better funding channelled towards procurement of necessary gadgets and other logistics for security operatives and agencies in the state and above all, we all must stop politicising security issues. It is inhuman and crueler than even the crime itself.”
Also speaking on the development, Executive Director of Community Outreach for Development and Welfare Advocacy (CODWA), Mr Taiwo Otitolaye, said Nigerians should be worried about the incessant bank robbery incidents in Offa and its environs.
“It has become a recurring decimal plaguing the state. Kwara State has continuously fallen prey to unchecked armed robberies. The banks in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Governmen,t have permanently closed their doors to customers for fear of being attacked and robbed.
“Our findings show that the police personnel ran away for dear lives in the case of the Offa incident. Government at all levels has paid lip service to the safety of lives and property. The [Muhammadu] Buhari government, too, is even confused on how to go about security issues in Nigeria.
“It is a shameless, insensitive and irresponsible government that parades itself as the custodian of the security of its citizenry when it has failed on all fronts. CODWA challenges the government and security agencies to rise up to the protection of the lives and property of the people,” Otitolaye said.
The Emir of Ilorin chairman of the state’s traditional council, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, has also condemned the robbery attack which he described as barbaric, disheartening and ungodly.
Alhaji Sulu-Gambari expressed shock over the incident, on Friday, in a condolence message signed by the National Secretary of Shehu Alimi Foundation for Peace and Development, Mallam Abdulazeez Arowona.
He urged clerics across the state to use the opportunity of the Friday Juma’at service to say special prayers for the nation, especially Kwara State.
“My prayer has always been, seeing a peaceful and prosperous state of harmony where lives and property would be adequately guaranteed,” the traditional ruler said.
He condoled with the state governor, Ahmed; the Olofa of Offa, Oba Gbadamosi; the Commissioner of Police, Lawan Ado; the people of Offa and all Kwarans over the incident.
The Emir prayed for the repose of the souls of the departed and wished the injured quick recovery.
“I received the news of the attack with rude shock and sadness, especially with the level of casualty involved,” the Emir added and warned residents to be vigilant and security conscious in order to avoid recurrence of such an act, even as he prayed Allah to console the families of the victims of the attack.
Meanwhile, the fear among residents of Offa, Oro, and Omu Aran after the gruesome Offa robbery attack on Thursday is that commercial banks would be scared to continue their operations.
When a similar robbery attack was carried out in 2013 in Omu Aran, a town in Kwara South District, it took four years before the branches of banks in the area reopened.
In the Omu Aran incident, the robbers killed both security personnel and staff of the banks they raided and made away with an undisclosed sum of money.
It took the intervention of the traditional institution, business community, government, among other stakeholders, before skeletal services were returned to the area.
After the eventual resumption of skeletal services by the commercial banks in Offa, Oro and Omu Aran, the banks only operated between 9.00 a.m. and 12 noon and later between 8.00 a.m. and 2.00 p.m.
This development brought about another scenario whereby many bank customers besieged ATMs in for transactions and the development encouraged further incidents as bank customers shared horrible experiences at the hands of thieves at ATM points.
Another feature of the skeletal services by the banks is the emergence of financial outlets where one can transfer or receive cash from relations or business partners in these towns.
However, operators of these outlets deal in less cash compared to conventional banks, while people said that they could be mischievous with handling of cash at times.
Two years ago, when cases of bank robberies were rampant in most parts of the state, the skeletal bank operations also extended to Ilorin, the state capital, where many banks closed at 2.00 p.m. until normalcy returned in their operations.
and then