3 more suspects arrested in Edo bank robbery

Three additional suspects have been arrested over Tuesday’s deadly armed robbery attacks at a police station and two commercial banks, which led to the death of six persons, in Igarra, Edo State.
Our correspondent gathered that two of the suspects were nabbed by the vigilante groups in a forest near Makeke on Wednesday in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of the state.
It was, however, said that the local security group lost one of its members, who was killed during the incident.
PUNCH Metro had on Thursday reported that the robbers, who came in two vehicles, had stormed the police station and killed two policemen.
Some members of the gang later raided the Igarra branches of Keystone and Unity banks on Momodu Ajayi road around 5.30pm and carted away an undisclosed amount of money from the latter, after destroying the bank’s security doors with Improvised Explosive Devices.
The robbers also shot a private security guard and two bank customers as they tried to make their way into the bank.
They were, however, said to have been confronted by some vigilantes in the area. The vigilantes killed one of the suspects and arrested another while the rest of them fled into a bush.
The police had also said that a total sum of N4, 452,500, 11 AK47 rifles, 39 IEDs and other arms and ammunition were recovered from the robbers.
A leader of the vigilance group, who did not want his name mentioned, said other vigilante groups in Ososo, Makeke, Lampese and its environs were contacted and directed to barricade the Ekpedo-Ekpe axis of the road with tyres, stones and other obstacles, which slowed down the movement of the robbery gang.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Osifo Abiodun, however, said on Thursday that the command arrested three persons, adding that police officers had been deployed at Igarra to secure the banks and border communities in the area.
He also noted that efforts had been intensified to arrest more suspects.
Abiodun said, “More suspects were arrested and are undergoing interrogation. In fact, we are expecting them in Benin so that we can ascertain the extent of their involvement in the incident. We have about three more suspects now.”
Narrating how the suspects were arrested, the vigilante leader said, “We mounted roadblocks and slowed down the robbers. They had to escape into the bush with some guns and then abandoned some of the stolen cash.”
He explained that one of the suspected robbers was caught in the bush while whistling to his colleagues for help.
“The one that was caught on Tuesday night whistled apparently to contact his friends, whom he felt may be in hiding nearby; but a member of the vigilance group responded and that lured the suspect out. The two that were arrested in a forest near Makeke with gunshot wounds had wanted to disguise as farmers to come out of the forest.
“But they could not because they could not change their clothes. We suspect they are from Okenne in Kogi State because they were speaking Igbira,” he added.
He, however, added that vigilance groups in neighbouring Kogi and Ondo states had been alerted to search nearby forests, as other members of the gang could be hiding in them.
PUNCH