Posted by Okon Bassey in Port Harcourt on
Armed robbers have again attacked two commercial banks (names withheld) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, killing seven persons while many others sustained serious injuries. Millions of naira were reportedly carted away.
Armed robbers have again attacked two commercial banks (names withheld) in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, killing seven persons while many others sustained serious injuries. Millions of naira were reportedly carted away.
Among those killed are two mobile policemen, two security men of one of the banks and two customers among them a Reverend Father and a member of the armed gang.
The current attack occurred a day after the Speaker of Rivers State House of Assembly, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, raised alarm over frequents attack by armed bandits on state lawmakers.
The Speaker, who said the attack on the Assemblymen were now getting rampant, wondered why robbers were picking on them.
The speaker car was snatched a month ago at a gun point and another one recently.
THISDAY gathered that the two banks attacked are situated at the Federal Ocean Terminal (FOT), Onne community near Port Harcourt.
Checks reveal that yesterday's attack brought to two incident of armed robbery attacks on financial institutions within two weeks in the state.
Eyewitness said armed robber gang numbering about 15 visited the banks at about 10am. On arrival, they fired gunshots indiscriminately wounding people who were within and outside one of the banks.
Sources said the robbers after shooting the mobile policemen and the bank security men dead took control of everything in the bank, demanding workers the office of the bank manager and the keys to the safe.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mrs. Ireju Barasua, confirmed the report but declined further comment indicating that the area was not under the jurisdiction of the state Police Command.
Barasua, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the state police command has put in place a special squad to fish-out the armed bandits specialising in attacking banks in the state.
She equally appealed to members of the public to volunteers information that could cause immediate arrest of dare-devils.
The robbers were said to have opened fire on the staff when there was no immediate response and in the course of the harassment, a staff under gun point took them to where the keys of the bank safe's were hidden.
Sources said the robbers took away a member of the gang shot dead with the one wounded and escaped through a waited flying.