Idoani robbery: Akoko banks shut
From Jimoh Ahmed, Ikare Akoko
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All commercial banks in major towns in Akoko land failed to open for business on Tuesday as their gates and doors were firmly locked for fear of insecurity.
The Hope reliably gathered that this might not be unconnected with the robbery incident at the First Bank branch in Idoani , Ose Local Government on Monday.
During the operation which has left residents of the agrarian community shell shocked, dare devil armed robbers attacked the bank leaving six people dead.
Our correspondent who visited the town yesterday observed that many of the people were still keeping indoors due to the psychological shock of the incident and the tale of woes left behind by the rampaging robbers.
When our reporter visited the banks in Ikare, Akungba and Oka yesterday, they remained closed while their customers were seen milling around their premises. Their agonies were further compounded due to the absence of any of the bank staff to offer any explanation for the closure of the banks.
In Oke-Agbe, the headquarters of Akoko North West Local Government area of the state, all banks in the area in the last five years had stopped operations over a similar robbery incident.
At the premises of one of the banks in Akungba, some customers who were at the ATM stand to withdraw money went home disappointed as none of the machines was working.
It was also observed that some bank customers who had besieged banks in Ikare to transact one business or the other also went hack home disappointed.
A bank customer in Ikare, Mr Paul Chukwudi told this reporter that he had earlier sent his sales girl to withdraw some cash for him but returned to shop without success.
Paul said he came to use the ATM machine hoping to get some cash to enable him travel to Onitsha to procure his business materials.
A student of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ibrahim Muhammed said he came to the bank to withdraw some cash to enable him pay for his first semester school fees but could not do so because of the development.
Ibrahim however appealed to the government to provide adequate security around financial institutions to prevent incessant robbery.
Efforts to speak with the Ikare Akoko Police Area Commander, ACP Rauf Razak was not successful as he could not be reached as at the time of filing this report.
