Police operatives in Osun State Command have been ordered by the state Commissioner of Police, Olawale Olokode, to launch an intensive manhunt for armed robbers who attacked a commercial bank (name withheld) at Okuku Town on Thursday, March 11, 2021.
The directive was given by the police commissioner during a visit to the robbery scene for an assessment, according to a statement by the state police spokeswoman, SP Yemisi Falola.
A gang of armed robbers had intercepted a staff of the bank while trying to lock the rear exit door of the bank, which had closed its daily transactions with customers on Thursday.
The armed gunmen were said to be wearing masks to hide their identities.
The PPRO disclosed that they forced the staff of the bank to open the Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and carted away about N600,000 from one of them.
However, due to a quick response from the police and other security outfits, attempts to open the other ATM machine and the bank’s vault was aborted.
Unfortunately, two persons lost their lives, as they were fatally shot while the robbers were trying to escape through paths unknown to residents who scampered into safety.
Thenewsbearer learnt that one of the person killed was a motorcycle rider along the road, whom the armed robbers thought was trying to trail them.
The other victim was reported to be a mentally-unstable man who was in front of his residence when he was shot.
It was further learnt that expended shells picked by the police at and around the scene of the incident were those of AK-47 and assorted sophisticated rifles.
Police operatives and local hunters were said to have combed the forest through the night till Friday, in search of the criminals.
“The Commissioner of Police appeals to the good citizens of the state, especially those residing around Okuku and its environs, to collaborate with the police by giving timely information that will assist in arresting the criminal elements,” Falola stated.
She added that Olokode reassured members of the public of their safety, as security measures had been put in place to forestall future occurrence.
