Armed Robbers on Wednesday killed two persons at a Union Bank branch located on Ado-Aramoko-Ilesa Highway, Ekiti state.
The seven-man gang stormed the bank at about 5.50 pm and shot sporadically into the air to scare residents in the vicinity.
A security guard and a staff were shot dead by the robbers during the operation that lasted for about 20 minutes.
The Nation reports that the robbers during the attack blew up the Automated Tellers Machine with guns which caused panic within the vicinity of the bank.
However, it was not reported if the robbers eventually took money away from the bank.
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Confirming the incident, Ekiti state police spokesperson, DSP Caleb Ikechukwu, said the robbers later fled the scene and were pursued by the SARS men until the robbers escaped into a thick forest at a location between Igede and Ilawe.
He said that the guard, who was shot in the head died on the premises of the bank while the injured staff died in the hospital.
According to him, the forest has been rounded up by the police and his men are combing the bush in search of the robbers.
He said;
“The robbers would have done more havoc than they did, but for prompt action taken by our men. There was exchange of gunshots between the bandits and our personnel. They tried their best to manage the situation.
“It is true that two persons were killed during the bank operation The operation was regrettable and the death of the two persons was painful .
“The command is stepping up its intelligence gathering skill and operation. As a temporary measure, we are going to deploy more men in banks to make the place safe for staff and customers.
“If you are on ground in Igede now, more men have been deployed, particularly the mobile police unit. We are doing same across the state.
“As we speak, our Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) and State Intelligence Investigation Department (SIID) have drafted their men for intelligence gathering while mobile policemen are on road and other critical areas.”
Meanwhile, an eyewitness revealed that the robbers actually gained entry into the banking hall before being resisted by the police, saying no one could ascertain whether money was carted away or not.
