Posted by By GABRIEL DIKE, Osogbo on
Worried by the spate of bank robbery in the state and the killing of its men, the Osun State Police Command has read the riot act to banks to implement some security measures or face its wrath.
Worried by the spate of bank robbery in the state and the killing of its men, the Osun State Police Command has read the riot act to banks to implement some security measures or face its wrath.
Osun State Commissioner of Police, Mr. John Moronike at a meeting with bank managers held at the police headquarters, Osogbo warned them to put in certain security measures to check the activities of armed robbers who of recent have made the banks their target.
Daily Sun learnt that the meeting with the bank managers operating in Osun State was summoned by the CP following the recent robbery incident at a first generation bank at Ilesa in which 10 persons including a police Sergeant were shot dead by the bandits while over 12 others were injured.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), ASP Joshua Olayemi told Daily Sun that the CP at the crucial meeting gave the bank managers matching orders on what to do and how to secure their various branches from the men of the under world.
Oleyemi said the incessant cases of armed robbery and death associated with the bank raids in Osun State is giving the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mike Okiro and the Commissioner of Police, great concern and that over 28 banks attended the meeting which included the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) and the Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS).
He said among the security measures the police command directed the banks to put in place are installation of metal detector, bullet proof doors and re-screening of their staff. He said the CP noted that most of the bank robbery occur due to money transfer and that some staff leak such information to the robbers.
Other security measures the police asked the banks to implement are that cash movement be made secret, link up with the central control security alarm system at the police command which would make it possible for the force to react fast to any distress calls from the banks when under attack by robbers.
The PPRO explained that the banks were given two-week ultimatum to implement the security measures, noting that 'we have the manpower and logistics but lack of information from the banks is our problem and their refusal to link up with the central alarm system is making it difficult to act fast during bank robbery."
According to him, the banks complained that most of the gadgets are imported, thus they asked for more time to implement the security measures and that the banks acknowledged that the measures were in their own interest.