A Woman-led Armed Robbery Gang Attack Two Lagos Banks

A Zenith Bank official at the scene said,

“One of them entered and when he saw about N20m that we had arranged to put inside our ATMs, he shouted, ‘Area, Zico see money. See money wey we dey look for.’ He started dancing. 

Led by a young lady said to be under 20, a group of robbers, numbering about 16 invaded two banks, located directly opposite the Ipakodo Police Division, at about 9am Wednesday morning.

 Shattering down the rotor doors of the two banks with dynamite, they forcefully gained entrance, ordering members of staff and their customers to lie down.

They were also said to have opened fire at the police station to scare the officers, after which they proceeded with their operation.

At Zenith Bank branch in Ebute-Ipakodo in Ikorodu, Lagos, the robbers made away with about N20m said to have been arranged for loading into the ATM and also about N60m from the strong room that was ready to be taken away by a bullion van that morning.

A Zenith Bank official at the scene said,

“One of them entered and when he saw about N20m that we had arranged to put inside our ATMs, he shouted, ‘Area, Zico see money. See money wey we dey look for.’ He started dancing.

“When the lady opened the strong room, the robber that shouted in the ATM room exclaimed again, ‘Eheeeee, Area, Zico give me bags! Give me bags.   Come and see money wey we dey look for. 

They packed everything in the strong room; more than N60m. We were expecting a bullion van to move the money before the incident happened.”

First Bank branch of the area was not spared either.

Satisfied with their bounty, the gunmen stormed out and challenged policemen, whose station is directly opposite the First Bank branch, to confront them.



No policeman came around, even as the robbers set three Sports Utility Vehicles which they drove to the banks, on fire, after removing their number plates. 

According to an eyewitness, The policemen hid at the back of Ipakodo Grammar School for more than one hour, even the military officers were said to have taken cover.

Four persons were injured by the robbers who fled through the jetty in the area. Some hit by stray bullets and others by shattered glasses.

The head of security, Ipakodo Community Development Association, Femi Awode, said he called two police officers on the phone to no avail.

However, about 20 mins after the robbers had fled, security operatives, comprising policemen and soldiers flooded the scene in about 10 pickups, two armoured tanks and one OP MESA pickup van. 

The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Kayode Aderanti, who visited the scene of the incident along with some military officers, said the command would get the robbers.

He said, “I am here with other service chiefs to have a joint coordinated approach to this incident. We are very positive that we are going to get to the root of the matter. Just give us time.

“The timing and conduct of the men (police officers) are also going into investigation. We are checking the operation of these jetties and the vulnerability of our waterways. Nobody died.”

According to the command’s spokesperson DSP Kenneth Nwosu, “The command will reward anybody with useful information towards the arrest of the bank robbers with N5m."

*Culled and edited from Punch*

Hmmm,I am sorry to say but it looks from the writeup as if the robbers had insider tip on when the money would be ready to leave.they arrived just at the nick of time..that is suspicious.If they want to catch these thieves before the money is finished they should start investigations from ''inside''