Bloodbath as robbers invade Osun

•Policemen feared killed •Bank workers,
customers murdered •3 robbers gunned downDAREDEVIL
armed robbers on Friday stormed
commercial banks in Ikirun town in Ifelodun
Local Government area of Osun State, with no
fewer than four policemen and six civilians
feared killed in the operations they carried
out.

Saturday Tribune authoritatively gathered that

the incident, which took place in the

afternoon, caused confusion in the town as

residents and shop owners scampered for

safety while the siege lasted.

According to a source in one of the banks, the

robbers stormed that particular bank around

3pm and ordered everybody to lie face down.

They were said to have succeeded in carting

away a large sum of money from the bank.

It was also gathered that the banks, late on

Friday, were still trying to ascertain the extent

of their losses in monetary terms.

A resident of the town who witnessed the

incident, described it as “a war.”

Another credible source informed Saturday

Tribune that the armed robbers, who invaded

the town in about four vehicles, used

explosives to break security doors of three

commercial banks located in the heart of the

town, just as they shot sporadically into the

air to create panic among the people.

Saturday Tribune correspondent learnt that

riot policemen who responded to distress calls

engaged the hoodlums in a shootout that

lasted more than 45 minutes and in the

process killed two of the armed robbers,

injured one, while one was caught.

According to the source, “the riot policemen

barricaded all the the entry points into Ikirun,

thus making it difficult for the armed robbers

to escape. But when the robbers took on the

policemen, they realised that they had been

trapped. They started shooting

indiscriminately and an unspecified number of

people were killed and seriously wounded.”

“Before the arrival of riot policemen, the

robbers had killed about four policemen who

were mounting security at two of the banks.

At least two bank staff and two customers of

the banks were also killed with many

sustaining varying degrees of injuries during

the robbery operation,” the source added.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations

Officer (PPRO) of the Osun Police Command,

Mrs Folasade Odoro, confirmed the incident,

but said only one policeman was killed in the

robbery attacks, disclosing that three of the

armed robbers were gunned down by the riot

policemen during a shootout. She did not

speak on the other reported casualties.