The Kogi State Police Command has confirmed Tuesday’s robbery attacks on three commercial banks in Egbe and Odo-Ere in Yagba-West Local government Area (LGA) of Kogi State, killing four persons and injuring several others.
The State Commissioner of Police, Idris Dauda Babban, who confirmed the incident to newsmen in Lokoja, said, however, he is waiting to get details from the Area commander.
The incident, according to eyewitnesses, started at about 3.00 pm on Tuesday and lasted for about two hours as the police operatives tried to repel the robbers.
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It was learnt that the hoodlums drove to Egbe town in a Toyota highlander SUV and other vehicles suspected to have been snatched from their owners along with three Bajaj Motorcycles for the operation.
The sources said that the armed robbers in large numbers started their onslaught at about 3 pm on Tuesday when they stormed Egbe Divisional Police Station and started shooting sporadically.
They were said to have consequently bombed the police Station with Improvised Explosive Devices causing the residents to scamper to safety.
Sources further said that in the operation that lasted for about two hours, the robbers were said to have left the Divisional Police Headquarters and proceeded to a branch of the Access Bank Plc in the town.
There, they were said to have killed the security man on duty along with one other person and injured several others who were rushed to ECWA hospital in Egbe.
It was also gathered that the heavily armed robbers then descended heavily on a branch of First Bank in Egbe which had been out of business for more than two years due to incessant robbery attacks.
After the successful operation in Egbe, the robbers were said to have moved towards Odo-Ere, headquarters of Yagba-West Local government.
They were said to have had a field day at the UBA branch in the town after attacking the Police station as residents ran for their lives.
However, it learnt that a security staff of the bank was killed in the bank premises and a lady in her 20s was killed by stray bullets as the robbers, after a successful operation, started shooting indiscriminately.