By Ovie Okpare & Onome Oghenetega
There was pandemonium on Friday when gunmen attacked officials of Wetland Microfinance Bank along Udu Road in Ovwian area of Udu Local Government Area of Delta State.
The bandits were said to have carted away huge amount of money belonging to the bank.
Sources who witnessed the robbery gave different accounts of the incident said the attack took place at about 4:20pm.
While some of the sources claimed it was the bank that was attacked by the fleeing hoodlums, others said it was the bank officials that were ambushed few metres away from the bank premises and dispossessed them of the money in their vehicle.
A security official told one of correspondents that the incident happened about 50 metres away from the bank premises.
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It was further gathered that the suspects numbering about ten ambushed the bank driver who reportedly parked and was making calls near the bank premises.
The driver and another official of the bank were alleged to have been sent to pick money from a customer of the bank.
The gunmen were said to have shot sporadically and created tension in the area. Residents and customers were said to have scampered for safety while the robbery attack was on.
It was gathered that the gunmen carted away money running into five million naira.
When contacted, the state commissioner of police, Mohammed Ali, confirmed the incident, saying that it was a robbery case.
The Delta Police Commissioner told one of our correspondents that the incident took place about 50 metres away from the bank.
He disclosed that he has ordered for the arrest of the driver owing to his role in the robbery incident.
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It was not the bank that was attacked. The driver of the microfinance bank was asked to collect money from a customer of the bank. He collected the money but, in his return, he parked fifty metres away from the bank instead of taking the money to the bank. He parked and was making telephone calls.
“For me, I see him as a collaborator. I have ordered his arrest. He’s the number one suspect. Why will you go and collect money from a customer instead of you to deliver the money to the bank, you went to park and was making calls. They should arrest him.
The robbers didn’t enter the bank premises. The man was robbed not the bank. Nobody was injured. Where the incident happened was not the bank premises. It was 50 metres away from the bank. Investigation is presently ongoing.”, CP Ali explained.
