Robbers attack bank customers, stopped from carting away N10m

Some residents of Amarata area of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on
Monday, foiled an armed robbery attack by rescuing the victim and
recovering the sum of N10m cash.

It was learnt that some suspected armed robbers, who operated in
a black Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), trailed the
yet-to-be-identified victim from Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Amarata
branch, where the customer had gone to withdraw the N10m.

The suspects were said to have shot at the victim who had
already entered his vehicle several times but he (victim) refused
to stop along the Sani Abacha Expressway

An eyewitness, who gave her name only as Mary, said the
suspected bandits shot at the tyres of the victim’s vehicle after
he refused to stop his vehicle.

She said the development forced the victim’s vehicle to skid off
to the other side of the road and somersaulted many times and
thereafter rammed into a tricycle operator.

It was gathered that the accident caused a gridlock on the busy
road as sympathisers who immediately gathered at the scene
overwhelmed the armed robbers who made a detour, shot sporadically
into the air and escaped.

It was further learnt that the efforts of the sympathisers who
gathered at the scene en masse prevented the armed robbers from
taking possession of the cash.

A police team and sympathisers were said to have rescued the
accident victim (a commercial tricycle operator) and the robbery
victim and the cash.

It was gathered that the police team at the commercial bank who
responded to the distress call returned the recovered money to the
bank while the victims were taken to a nearby health facility for
medical attention.

When contacted, spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police Command,
Asinim Butswat, a Superintendent of Police, said he had not been
briefed on the incident.

He promised to get back after his findings.

Some residents of Amarata area of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on
Monday, foiled an armed robbery attack by rescuing the victim and
recovering the sum of N10m cash.

It was learnt that some suspected armed robbers, who operated in
a black Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), trailed the
yet-to-be-identified victim from Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB), Amarata
branch, where the customer had gone to withdraw the N10m.

The suspects were said to have shot at the victim who had
already entered his vehicle several times but he (victim) refused
to stop along the Sani Abacha Expressway

An eyewitness, who gave her name only as Mary, said the
suspected bandits shot at the tyres of the victim’s vehicle after
he refused to stop his vehicle.

She said the development forced the victim’s vehicle to skid off
to the other side of the road and somersaulted many times and
thereafter rammed into a tricycle operator.

It was gathered that the accident caused a gridlock on the busy
road as sympathisers who immediately gathered at the scene
overwhelmed the armed robbers who made a detour, shot sporadically
into the air and escaped.

It was further learnt that the efforts of the sympathisers who
gathered at the scene en masse prevented the armed robbers from
taking possession of the cash.

A police team and sympathisers were said to have rescued the
accident victim (a commercial tricycle operator) and the robbery
victim and the cash.

It was gathered that the police team at the commercial bank who
responded to the distress call returned the recovered money to the
bank while the victims were taken to a nearby health facility for
medical attention.

When contacted, spokesman for the Bayelsa State Police Command,
Asinim Butswat, a Superintendent of Police, said he had not been
briefed on the incident.

He promised to get back after his findings.