No
fewer than six policemen and six others, including residents and bank
customers, have been reported killed after some robbers stormed about five
banks in Offa, in the Offa Local Government Area of Kwara State on Thursday.
Sources
said the men, who numbered close to 30, blew up entrances into the banks with
dynamite in an operation which lasted for more than one hour.
The
banks allegedly affected by the raids are Guaranty Trust Bank, Zenith Bank,
First Bank, Union Bank and Eco Bank.
Punch learnt that the robbers, who entered
the area around 4pm, shot continuously to scare aware some residents.
They
reportedly blocked roads from both Ilorin and Oshogbo and entered Owode Police
Station in the metropolis.
They
were said to have shot dead four policemen at the division, including some
complainants.
Among
those reportedly killed by the robbers were a police officer, who was expected
to retire in the next few months, and a pregnant policewoman.
Punch
correspondents learnt that the gunmen made away with millions of naira after
shattering bank buildings, terrorising workers, customers and passersby, as
well as traders and other people in the vicinity.
A
witness, who did not want to be identified, said he saw the corpses of six
policemen.
“The
ground was littered with corpses. Many people died. I counted six corpses of
some policemen at the scene,” he said.
Graphic
pictures of slain policemen and residents were posted by some residents on the
Internet.
The
Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Ajayi Okasanmi, confirmed the
robbery in a telephone chat with Punch.
He
also confirmed that there were casualties, but he could not confirm the number
of dead people and how much was stolen.
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