Even though the armed robbers say there was no woman amongst them, eye witnesses insist they saw a woman with charms around her neck there.
part of the group that stormed Ebute Ipakodo, Ogolonto area of Ikorodu,
where they attacked the branches of First Bank Plc and Zenith Bank Plc,
and carted away about N100 million. They were all said to be in their
20s.
GEORGE ODIGIE
“The incident of Wednesday, June 24, 2015, was terrible. That would
be my first time of witnessing that kind of robbery. I have only heard
of Shina Rambo, I never saw him and his gang in operation. Those guys
that came to Ebute Ipakodo are well trained armed robbers. The way they
handled the gun was fearful.
Even I don’t think the police can shoot
the way they did that day. I believe they’re the same set that
terrorized Ijede about three weeks ago. Their mission was to rob and
not to kill anybody because if they were there to kill, I don’t think I
will still be alive today. I also came to Zenith Bank to withdraw with
my ATM card. Suddenly I heard a loud voice followed by a gun shot.
When I looked up, I ran out of the place alongside others who were also
scampering for safety. They commanded all of us out of the premises.
Before we knew it, they had blown the outer part of First Bank, then
Zenith Bank too with explosives. They gained entry into the two banks
and came out after about one hour of uninterrupted operation. The money
they stole was too much. Everybody was just watching helplessly. They
reduced the police to a piece of cake that day. They were fully armed
and most of them were not that tall. I guess they must be in their
20s. They’re likely to be cultists. No one could identify anyone of
them.“The operation lasted about two hours before they drove out of the
place. We later heard another round of shooting few metres away, after
which flame covered the whole atmosphere. Some of us still rushed
there, we got to know that they had burnt the three jeeps they brought
for the operation and escaped through the waterways.”
RAFIU OSALABI
“The Wednesday, June 24, 2015 robbery was shocking. We’re all
scared. I thought the end had come. The robbers were many. No one
knows exactly their number. I only know there was a lady among them.
She wore a lot of things round her neck. I believe they’re charms.
It’s like a dream. They were devilish in their conduct. The only thing
was that they didn’t shoot anybody but if the policemen had come out
that day, only God knows how many of the policemen would have been
killed because the type of guns these guys paraded were first class.
They started shooting soon as they stormed the road here. They came
around 8.30 a.m and operated for about two hours non-stop. We ran into
this house, watching them through the window. They were shooting and
screaming. They even dared the police. They stood in front of the
police station for more than an hour, no police came out.“After they had blown the entrances of the two banks, they came out
with huge cash loaded in Ghana Must Go bags, big ones. You can imagine
how much they carted away. I am sure it can’t be less than N100 m. We
only thank God that nobody died in the incident. The only person hit by
a stray bullet was an okada rider who brought a lady to the bank. And
he was rushed to the hospital alongside three others who were injured
while running for safety. We were hearing their leader shouting, ‘Don’t
kill anybody, we’re to rob not to kill but if they fail to co-operate,
we will destroy them and their banks.’“They left around 10.30 a.m and drove to the jetty where they set ablaze their three jeeps and escaped in a speed boat.”
CHRISTIANA SEGUN
“I am the owner of this shop. I always come out around 8 a.m every
day except Sundays because of church. I came out that same time on
Wednesday, June 24, 2015. And as usual, I was arranging my goods.
Suddenly, I heard a sound, Gba o! I thought it was from the exhaust
pipe of one of the vehicles passing, but in another couple of seconds,
it became sporadic. It was then I knew the reality of what was really
happening. I didn’t know when I abandoned the shop unlocked and ran
away. Everybody ran for safety. I hid in an uncompleted building up
there with many others. That’s where we were, watching how the robbers
were terrorizing the whole place.“It was like a make-believe thing. See young boys shooting like
soldiers, few of them wore military camouflage, shouting on top of their
voices. They operated from 8.40 a.m to 10.30 a.m, almost two hours
uninterrupted. They were shouting as they were shooting, commanding the
bank staffers to cooperate with them unless they would find themselves
in the pool of their blood.“They blew the entrances of the two banks with explosives. They
robbed them simultaneously. About three of them stood in the front of
the police station directly opposite the banks, challenging the police
to come out if they’re ready to die, ‘Come out if you can face us. You
will die like chicken. If you know you have signed your will, dare us,
we will leave you dead before leaving this place. But if you love
yourselves and your families, just remain indoor. We’re here for
business, not to kill anybody but if you dare us, we will kill you like
chicken.’
“A girl was among them, wearing charms round her neck and waist. She
was so bold and confident of herself. She held a SMG, commanding the
rest of the guys. Some of them wore black dresses. They threatened to
destroy the two banks and their workers if they refuse to cooperate with
them.
“That morning, a lot of customers were already inside the banks, many
were also outside making use of their ATM cards. They all took to
their heels when the robbers started their terror attack. Nobody could
wait. After like 30 minutes, they had succeeded in robbing First Bank
and I learnt about N20 m was carted away instantly. In the two banks,
they used about five Ghana Must Go bags to load the money and put them
inside their jeeps. I learnt they stole about N60 m from Zenith Bank
while some said it’s more than that.
“We heard them screaming when they saw the money. Even about three
of them were dancing, celebrating victory on the road right in front of
the police station.“The robbery was massive. I have never witnessed such a thing. All
the motorists, Marwa and okada riders were turning back. Some, out of
fear, parked and abandoned their vehicles. They came back in the
afternoon to pick them. The guns the armed robbers operated with were
more sophisticated. That’s why I don’t blame the police that hid
because I don’t think they could stand their guns. Let’s call a spade a
spade, our government should equip the police with more sophisticated
weapons. Most of the robbers terrorizing banks are not ordinary
people. And police too have their wives and children at home. We only
thank God the incident didn’t claim any life. Only few people were
injured and they were rushed to the hospital for immediate treatment.”