TheCable

One month after armed robbers raided some banks in the FESTAC area of Lagos, men of the underworld operated in some banks at Agbara industrial estate in Ogun state on Thursday.

A resident of the area, who does not want to be named, told TheCable that the heavily armed men arrived the area around 6:30am.

“They came through the waterway right opposite the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education in Ijanikin and seized some vehicles on the expressway before heading to the estate where there are so many industries and banks,” he said.

“The unfortunate thing is that customs, immigration and the police have checkpoints there but all these people who prefer to go after smugglers took cover when the robbers arrived.

“There was serious panic in the entire area throughout the operation.”

Segun Olumuyiwa, another resident, said parts of his building have been destroyed by bullets.

“I don’t know if it’s the police that engaged them in shooting but the bullets kept flying all over. We had to lie on the floor for nearly two hours,” he said.

“I don’t know if they attacked any other bank but I only know of Zenith bank.”

This is the fourth time in 2015 that robbers would attack banks located in residential areas and escape through waterways.

In May, a branch of First City Monument Bank was attacked in Lekki and five persons, including two policemen were killed, while in June First Bank and Zenith Bank were attacked in Ikorodu.

Last month, about five people were killed during attacks on Access Bank and Diamond Bank in FESTAC.

Thursday’s robbery happened exactly three days after there was an exchange of gunfire between the police and suspected robbers in the Epe area of Lagos.

The police said the robbers attempted to steal its gunboat, adding that the operation suffered setback after the boat sunk.

“The robbers wanted to use it to rob some banks in the state,” a policeman had said.