Bank Banager, cashier, 2 Others Killed in Ekiti Robbery

No fewer than four lives, including that of a soon-to-wed young security guard, were lost to a bank robbery attack at Otun-Ekiti in Moba Local Government Area of Ekiti State on Thursday night.

Saturday Sun gathered that among those killed were the Manager and cashier of a new generation bank, security man at another bank and the night guard to the town’s monarch, Oba Adedapo Popoola, Oore Otun of Mobaland. At the end of the operations in the two banks raided, millions of Naira yet to be confirmed were carted away by the robbers.

Oba Popoola, who narrated what happened to Saturday Sun, said: “it was around 6pm on Thursday. I was relaxing with my chiefs in front of the palace when we heard what first sounded like some fireworks and we dismissed it as some of the children’s antics as a result of the festive period.
But later we heard heavier and more shocking sounds that sounded like gunshots and explosives. That was when we realised it was no child’s play.

“Gunshots and explosives were all over the place and heard from all corners. I couldn’t situate the incident as we ruminated whether it was robbery, Boko Haram’s attack or some kind of war happening. We later learnt that the robbers stationed their men at the four routes into the town, first was the roundabout at Orimope road, second was outside Moba LGA secretariat, third was in front of my palace and the fourth was in front of the Technical College outside the town on the way to Kwara.


“The sporadic gunshots and explosives lasted about an hour before the dust settled. And by that time four innocent lives were wasted: the manager and cashier of a new bank, security man at another bank and my night guard who had just resumed for night duty and wanted to close the gate.

“I reported the case to the governor and he immediately called me and mobilised the security operatives who promptly followed the governor’s instruction and came at past 7pm but the robbers had long left.”

The monarch who said the incident was the first ever in the town, explained that the robbers operated with ease because Otun is a border town with Kogi, Osun, and Kwara states.

“The border towns and local government areas should be given very tight security so that such incident would not happen again. Government should put in more efforts into seeing to the protection of lives and property. “, he pleaded.

Further checks revealed that the security guard killed in one of the two banks had also just resumed for work that evening. His soon to be wedded wife is heavily pregnant and their wedding had been fixed.


A resident of the town who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity, said: “The Oba’s guard was shot in his private part. He was about closing the palace gate when one of the robbers rushed towards him and rained bullets on him. The bank’s security man and the Oba’s guard hailed from Mayan, on the outskirts of Otun.


Confirming the incident, Ekiti State Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Mr. Alberto Adeyemi , said that the police had deposited the bodies of the deceased at the morgue of Usi General Hospital, adding that: “We have commenced investigations into the development and hope that the perpetrators would soon be apprehended.”