Police injured as robbers snatch N25m from bullion van

A police officer sustained grave injuries on Wednesday after a gang of robbers waylaid a bank’s billion van between Otulu and Ubulu-Okiti, along Asaba/Benin expressway, Delta State, and made away with N25 million.

The gunmen were said to have emptied the N25m into a Honda Pilot Jeep and a Toyota Corolla and escaped.

Reports say the injured cop and six others were allegedly illegally hired by the cash management office of a branch of an old generation bank in Asaba, to escort the money from Agbor to Asaba.

The Delta State Police Command, which gave the allegation, accused the bank officials of compromising best practices in the movement of cash from one point to another.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Andrew Aniamaka, disclosed that a woman from the cash management office, the Chief Security Officer of the bank and two drivers have been arrested following the robbery attack.

Aniamaka, in a statement made available to journalists, said the arrest followed preliminary investigation that the bank officials illegally hired the seven police officers to escort the bullion van to Asaba, after an earlier rejection by the police to provide escort as requested because of lack of a serviceable bullion van for the operation.

According to the police image maker, the incident occurred because the bank officials wanted to “cut corners,” by illegally selecting seven police officers from different locations and engaged them on the illegal operation.

While assuring the public that the police was on the trail of the robbers, DSP Aniamaka, warned that “henceforth banks requiring police escort must adhere to laid down regulations on special escort, especially during the ’ember’ months.”

Meanwhile, officials of the first generation bank could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing the report.